


Keep Falling in Love

by orphan_account



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: 69 (Sex Position), Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Blood and Violence, Blow Jobs, Butt Plugs, Canonical Character Death, Character Death, Comfort Sex, Domestic Fluff, Evil Takumi, Face-Sitting, Fluff, Fluff without Plot, Gags, Heavy Angst, Hero Leo, Hurt No Comfort, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, M/M, Major Character Injury, Masturbation, Mild Blood, Pining, Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Rimming, Rough Sex, Rutting, Sex Toys Under Clothing, Smut, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Vibrators, Vomiting, Voyeurism, Wall Sex, additional tags added as they come, kind of, making garlic bread at 1AM is gay culture, takumi eats ass, the BNHA AU no one asked for, use condoms kids
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-03
Updated: 2018-06-01
Packaged: 2018-12-10 12:12:07
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 30,599
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11691366
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Too many Leokumi drabbles and not enough time.





	1. Shamefully in Love

**Author's Note:**

> This will be a collection of Leokumi drabbles that I've written, varying in rating from explicit to fluff.  
> No beta

Leo slammed the door shut behind him before leaning back against it, the heavy pounding of his heart loud in his ears. It wasn’t like him to be so easily influenced, but this was… different. It wasn’t simply some strategic problem he had yet to solve; it wasn’t just a passing issue he could ignore until it was gone, though he may have argued otherwise earlier on; no, this was so much more than any other possibility.

 

It was something much worse.

 

His face burned as his cock twitched within the confines of his pants, an aching reminder of his shame. This wasn’t like him at all, but it was the position he was in. He knew he had to take care of it, but it would only make his situation worse. And yet, he also knew there was no fixing this. He had already fallen down the metaphorical rabbit hole, and all he could do was fall deeper.

 

No one could ever find out.  _ Takumi  _ could never find out. The other man would surely murder him which by this point would actually be a relief, but he knew it wasn’t the most realistic scenario. More than likely, he would simply alienate himself from Takumi and his family which wasn’t something Xander would be pleased with no matter the circumstances. At least it wouldn’t be hard to keep this to himself. The worst part would be simply living with it when there was really no simple thing about it.

 

The mere thought of Takumi made his cock pulse with interest, again reminding him of his problem. Leo bit down hard on his lip as he tentatively lowered his hand to palm himself through his trousers, groaning softly at the friction. If only he hadn’t started paying so much attention to the archer this might have been avoided. But at the same time, how could he  _ not?  _ The way the other man moved when he was in battle, and even outside of it, was intoxicating, to say the least. He was as graceful as he was fierce, moving without a single hesitation no matter what or who his target was at the end of his arrow. Leo had caught himself staring several times whenever they were near each other in battle, completely enraptured. It had cost him a few minor injuries, but they were nothing compared to what he witnessed when he was near Takumi.

 

And that  _ smirk _ , that  _ fucking  _ smirk. Takumi always wore it after a successful kill, as if he had never doubted for a second his own skills. It was one of the most self-satisfied, smug looks Leo had ever seen, playing to the prince’s egotistical attitude. But it was also one of the most attractive looks the Nohrian prince had ever laid eyes on. Occasionally, the other prince would smirk at him that way when they were arguing, right before he made some clever remark that made Leo sputter and fume with anger. It was awful how much the look made him flush.

 

Leo ground the heel of his palm against his cock as he imagined it, lifting his other hand to bite into the fleshy part of his thumb and effectively silence the whimper that threatened to escape him. Takumi had an awful temper and his manners were horrendous, but he had an admirable dedication to his people and family. He always got on Leo’s nerves and was constantly throwing barbed remarks at him as if their two kingdoms hadn’t been at peace for years now, but he was absolutely beautiful.

 

Leo hated him for it.

 

His head rested back against the hardwood of the door as he continued to stroke himself through his pants, shame keeping him from undoing them. His hips rocked subtly into the movement of his hand, chasing the sweet friction, and Leo closed his eyes as he moaned quietly. The walls and door were thick enough that no one should be able to hear him, but he didn’t want to listen to himself fall apart so easily, to hear his own shame echo back in his ears.

 

Not wanting to focus on his own feelings, he distracted himself. He had wondered in the past what Takumi might look like with his hair down, and he thought of that now as he increased the pressure of his hand. It looked soft even when it was tied up, and it would probably fall down to Takumi’s waist, if not farther. It might make him look younger, especially if he tucked it behind his ears. The prince already had such a soft face that gave away just how young he was despite how he acted. He might only let it down when he washed it though, perhaps opting to keep it up instead of dealing with the hassle of it. Leo wouldn’t know considering his own short hair, but he imagined it would be annoying. He wondered, briefly, why Takumi didn’t cut it, if it was perhaps an aspect of his culture that Leo wasn’t aware of yet.

 

His mind easily shoved the thought aside for later and instead latched on to the idea of Takumi bathing, sending him spiraling further down that rabbit hole from earlier. The prince’s hair would be damp and clinging to his skin, darker than its usual lighter shade due to the water. Droplets of water would cling to his skin, some following the lines of his muscles and others running further down his body. An archer wasn’t usually especially muscular, not like an axe or club wielder, but they still had plenty of strength, something Takumi never let be a secret. His biceps were something to be admired, especially when he was in the midst of lifting something. Leo had seen the other man lift his younger sister easily before, as if she weighed nothing. He couldn’t help but wonder, just maybe, if Takumi would be able to lift him?

 

Leo gasped as he came at the thought, quickly pressing his hand against his mouth to stifle any further noises. His other hand stilled on his crotch as his back arched away from the door, his hips jerking briefly before his body began to relax, the tension melting away and with it his pride. He let his hand slowly slip away from his mouth, listening to the sound of his own shaky breathing while his heart rate slowed. Trousers now ruined with his own release, he exhaled slowly and mumbled into the silent air:

 

“Fuck me.”


	2. Leaps and Bounds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Having a competitive nature is not always the best thing.

It wasn’t everyday that there was a free seat in the student lounge. In fact, Takumi would argue that it was an impossible scenario; unless it was exactly four in the morning when most students crawled back to their rooms to pass out. At any other time of the day, people crowded for the most comfortable chairs on campus, crowding four onto the small couches and three to an armchair at the least. The floor wasn’t left untouched either, many choosing to sprawl across it with the various bags and books that were thrown onto the carpet. It was a dangerous place sometimes, and one had to keep an eye out for stray textbooks. Takumi knew from experience.

As crowded as it may have been, however, the student commons was not only a social hotspot, but also the place with the best connection to the free wifi and enough electrical outlets to rival a hardware store. There were also three vending machines, two water fountains, one coffee machine, and it was only a short walking distance from both the dorms and the cafeteria.

Basically, it was perfect.

Takumi always tried to stake out a place there when he had the free time available. The library could be just as good sometimes, but they didn’t allow food inside and only water which was a deal breaker for most students. They also closed early on Friday’s.

He shrugged his bag higher up on his shoulder as he rounded the corner, eyes doing a quick scan of the groupings of students to find an empty seat. He spotted an armchair near the back by a window, sitting innocently in the sunlight that streamed in. No other students seemed interested in it, content in their small groups of friends, and Takumi took it as the blessing it was. He was ready to start towards it when he noticed the guy that stood next to him.

A little taller than himself, blond, bag over his shoulder, and obviously looking at the same chair Takumi had spotted first. He seemed to notice Takumi staring at him and turned his head slightly to meet his eyes, eyebrow raised in a way that made Takumi want to punch him. They both glanced towards the empty chair again before looking back to each other, not saying a word. Takumi didn’t know this guy, didn’t know his name or anything about him, but he understood the look in his eyes perfectly as if they had known each other for years.

Takumi started running first.

He vaulted over one of the couches full of students, ignoring their surprised yelps, and used the coffee table to jump over some girl’s head while the other guy sprinted past, swerving around the furniture rather than go over it. Takumi squeezed between two armchairs and almost kicked some guy in the head, but jumped over him at the last minute. His more direct approach of climbing over students and furniture alike gave him the advantage, and he found himself practically plowing into the free chair seconds before the other guy. His flawless victory was ruined only by the chair tipping over with his sudden weight and sending him to the floor in a graceless sprawl.

Takumi panted up at the ceiling as the adrenaline that had kept him moving slowly faded, making him realize just how sweaty he was and the pain that was now building in his wrist. Probably from his chair tumble. He also noted, as the sound of his racing heart in his ears faded, that someone was laughing. Well, the people around him were chuckling as well, some others calling out a few sly remarks about the impromptu race. No, it was the breathless hiccuping that caught his attention.

He pushed himself up into a sitting position, peering over the toppled chair to see the other guy struggling to breathe while he, to put it simply, laughed his ass off. Takumi felt his heart thump painfully in his chest. The guy’s cheeks were flushed like his own and his hair was a mess, a headband Takumi hadn’t noticed before sitting askew on his head. He was bent over slightly, one hand on his mouth and the other on his knee, obviously trying to recover from their race while also rein in his small hiccups of laughter. Takumi hadn’t thought to describe laughing as hiccups before, but that’s what it sounded like and it might have been the most adorable thing he had ever heard. Dumbstruck, he almost missed it when the guy finally looked up at him with a smile on his face and breathing still a bit heavy.

“Okay, you win.” He said, running a hand through his hair. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone jump over a couch so quickly before.”

“Uh…” Takumi replied. Intelligently, of course.

The guy combed his fingers through his hair to neaten it, straightening up and fixing his headband. He stepped forward and offered his hand to Takumi, lips still turned up in amusement.

“My name’s Leo.”

Takumi stared at his hand for a second too long before hastily grabbing it, accepting his help in standing. “Takumi.”

Leo helped him pick up the poor armchair before stepping back, rubbing the back of his neck. “Well, it’s all yours, Takumi.”

The sound of his name on Leo’s lips made his heart jump again, and as the blond started to turn away from him, he blurted out, “Could I get your number?”

Leo paused and turned back to look at him in surprise, sending Takumi into immediate panic. Holding up his hands in a placating gesture, he quickly said, “I mean, it’s okay if not! I guess it’s weird to ask for your number when I just learned your name and you saw my head first collision with a chair. You know, maybe forget I asked? This is getting real awkward and-”

“Give me your phone.”

Takumi paused. “Huh?”

Leo was smiling at him again, holding out his hand while the other held his own phone. “I said, give me your phone. I’ll put my number in.”

It took another moment for Takumi to process that the guy was actually giving him his number, and he hurriedly shoved a hand into his pocket to retrieve the device. “Great, okay, cool, lemme just-”

It was as he withdrew it from his pocket and flipped it over to turn it on that he realized he had cracked the screen when he fell over in the chair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll try to alternate between fluff and smut, but we'll see if I hold that pattern


	3. Gagged

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sweet, sweet silence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back to the smut folks  
> No beta, like usual

Takumi wasn’t entirely sure how long they had been at it now. It could have been a handful of minutes or a couple of hours. All he knew was, by that point, Leo had come twice and Takumi was well on his way to coaxing him towards a third.

 

He licked a slow stripe up the underside of Leo’s cock and relished in his muffled gasp, curling the two fingers he had inside of him to watch him squirm. He had been purposefully avoiding the other’s prostate for a few minutes now, lazily stretching him open while he left a litter of bite marks on his thighs and hips. Touching his cock was more of an afterthought, teasing him with only light kisses and the occasional lick to keep him on edge. Maybe a part of Takumi was enjoying it a little too much, but his more selfish side was perfectly content with how things were.

 

Finally removing himself from between Leo’s legs, he sat back on his knees and slowly withdrew his fingers, appreciating the desperate clench of muscles that attempted to keep them there. Sitting back, he was able to fully appreciate his work.

 

Leo’s hair had been a mess since they had first stumbled through the door, his headband shoved away so Takumi could properly run his fingers through the blond’s hair. It now clung to his forehead with his sweat, brushing into his eyes and looking particularly disheveled. His eyes were a bit damp, and the flush on his cheeks had long since spread to his ears and down his neck, complementing the bite marks Takumi had left there as well. His stomach trembled slightly as his chest rose and fell with his labored breathing, Takumi eyeing the more recent marks on his thighs with appreciation. The blond’s hands were twisted so tightly in the sheets that Takumi wondered if he might find holes later, left behind from his nails. His gaze slid back up towards Leo’s face, focusing in on the strip of black fabric that stood out against his boyfriend’s skin.

 

The gag had initially been Takumi’s own idea, more of a joke than anything serious. The look on Leo’s face when he had handed him the gag had been particularly priceless, a mix between rightfully offended and oddly embarrassed. It had been amusing up until Leo had asked to properly use it a few weeks later, embarrassed again but firm in his request.

 

Takumi hadn’t expected to enjoy it quite so much.

 

“I like you like this.” He kissed Leo’s cheek, relishing the muffled moan through the gag. With a finger he delicately turned the other’s head to meet his gaze, his smile broadening to a grin at the indignant flush of want and frustration on Leo’s face. The pleasure at being praised mingling with the powerlessness of not being able to do anything else but accept it. “None of your lies or manipulations. Put a cage on that tricky, pretty tongue and just look at you…” Takumi clicked his tongue softly. “Gorgeous.”

 

Leo’s eyes narrowed at him in a glare that was easily chased away when Takumi reached down to give his erection a teasing stroke, his boyfriend’s head jerking back to rest against the pillows again.

 

“What did I say?” He murmured teasingly, withdrawing his hand. “No lies when you’re like this, so you can’t pretend like you aren’t enjoying this.”

 

Leo, obviously, didn’t respond. Takumi leaned down to kiss his jaw while reaching for the lube he had set aside earlier, squeezing a dollop out onto his palm.

 

“You can’t tell me to shut up when I compliment you either,” he continued softly, breathing the words into Leo’s ear while he slicked up his own cock. “When I tell you that you’re amazing like this.”

 

Leo exhaled harshly through his nose when Takumi lined himself up, pressing the head of his erection forward slightly. “Amazing, absolutely amazing,” he mumbled as the muscles loosened and he was able to slide in easily, Leo’s muffled moan answering him.

 

Leo never did like it when they fucked slow, no matter their positions. He preferred the harsh, fast pace that made them forget how to breathe, that made it seem like their was a sense of urgency in the air around them that spurred them on to move quickly. Takumi, in a sharp contrast -  _ always in sharp contrast  _ \- loved moving slow enough that they could feel every inch of each other, the intimacy of being so close and letting their pleasure build in a slow crescendo. Leo had called it lovemaking once, the word said with such distaste that Takumi had glanced at him oddly. It was a strange feeling, not being on the same page of someone you were dating.

 

But sex was easy. Communication was hard. Choosing one over the other was simple enough.

 

Takumi kept his thrusts slow but deep, watching how Leo’s face moved whenever he nudged against his prostate, feeling how his throat quivered whenever he moaned. He tucked his face against the blond’s shoulder and felt when Leo’s hands moved up to his hair, fingers fumbling with the hair tie he used to undo it. Takumi let him, hooking his arms under the other’s knees to spread him open a little more and press infinitesimally closer. His hair spilled onto his shoulders  and down his back, surprisingly cool against his skin, and he groaned when Leo tangled his hands into it. Leo had always said he liked Takumi’s hair, but he still always managed to feel self-conscious about it when he had it down.

 

Insecurities tended to do that to people.

 

They were both getting close, Leo’s muffled noises giving him away, and Takumi decided to give him a small reprieve by reaching down for his cock. His back was arching within two strokes, his orgasm quick and leaving him a shaking mess of limbs with its intensity. The sharp clench of his muscles around Takumi’s cock had him following only a few thrusts after, the rush of his own orgasm leaving him breathless and feeling a little bit like he was high.

 

He allowed himself a few seconds to collect himself before slowly withdrawing, not missing Leo’s small shiver once his cock slipped free. He reached up to gently undo the tie of the gag at the back of the blond’s head, tossing aside the damp fabric once he had it done.

 

“You’re insufferable,” Leo grumbled at him, voice a little hoarse and eyes still wet.

 

Takumi helped him sit up before reaching for the glass of water on the nightstand, offering it to the other along with a few tissues. “I know.”

 

Leo wiped at his mouth first before taking the water, draining the glass in a few gulps before adding quietly, “Thank you.”

 

Takumi brushed a hand through his hair and pressed a kiss to his temple, allowing the blond to gratefully slump against him. “Love you, too, _Lego_.”

 

“Shut up, _Taco_.”


	4. Pain of Waiting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was unexpected, but inevitable.

It wasn’t supposed to happen.

 

He was caught off guard; he had his back turned; it came out of nowhere - it just  _ happened too fast. _

 

Takumi wasn’t certain if he was lucky or not to have witnessed it. On one hand, he was able to respond immediately, but on the other, he  _ saw  _ it. It wasn’t something he was unused to, unfortunately. He had seen plenty of soldiers fall in battle, sometimes killed on the spot and other times left terribly wounded, unable to be rescued until after the fight was over - though it was usually too late by that point. No, Takumi knew death. That wasn’t what unsettled him. That wasn’t what made his mind go blank in the middle of a battlefield.

 

It was the individual.

 

They hadn’t expected to be ambushed, that was the first problem of many. It was supposed to be a simple fight, just a small group of bandits that had threatened a small village. Ryoma had been skeptical at first, always wary even in times of peace, but had eventually let them go with only a small group of eight. He was distracted by the trade negotiations that Hoshido was in the midst of with Nohr, content to let Takumi handle what they all assumed was a small problem. Bandits were no unfamiliar enemy, but more often than not they were easily taken care of, so no one was worried.

 

Takumi had even, foolishly, allowed Sakura to come with. Elise, of course, had tagged along as well, the two princesses never far from each other’s side during visits. Takumi hadn’t thought much of it. They would be in capable hands should anything go wrong and, again, it wasn’t supposed to be especially dangerous. 

 

It took them all by surprise.

 

They had left their horses at the village so they could approach the bandit camp on foot, planning to make a sort of surprise attack. In hindsight, it was a stupid idea. Hinata and Oboro had been at the front with Niles and Odin, Takumi hanging back to keep an eye on Sakura and Elise. A bad feeling had started building in his gut when they had first approached the valley that the bandit’s were supposedly hiding their camp in, causing him to be overly cautious. Their initial attack had gone smoothly, the bandits scrambling under their sudden attack and some fleeing entirely. It wasn’t until more started spilling out of the trees of the nearby forest that they realized what they had gotten themselves into.

 

Protecting Sakura had been his main priority, keeping her within his eyesight at all times. Hinata and Oboro did their best to keep him from being charged while he took out the archers that took aim at them from the treeline, Niles and Odin spreading out a little more to take care of those that tried to flank them.

 

Leo had been in the midst of it. Takumi knew from experience that his magic was a force to be reckoned with, and rarely did an enemy get close enough to harm him with a blade. If he ever sustained an injury, it was often from another magic user or an archer, someone who could attack him from afar. Takumi hadn’t been concerned about him even after the fresh wave of fighters that attacked them. He hadn’t seen any magic users, and he was easily targeting the archers that aimed at their group, so he didn’t have any reason to be.

 

Somehow, the girl got close enough.

 

She was young, too young to be stuck in the middle of such bloodshed, younger than even Sakura. Perhaps that was how she escaped their notice until it was too late. The fan she used was old and worn, the paper weak with holes and cracks. Takumi had seen how the wood holding it together was splintering, obviously well past any sort of repair. He wasn’t sure how it held together for such a powerful spirit, but he didn’t think of that until much later.

 

Leo had his back turned, his steely gaze fixated on the axe-wielder that he was spearing through with the roots of Brynhildr. The girl was already summoning the spirit when the gnarled wood disappeared back into the ground, Leo’s attention already moving on to his next target and still completely unaware. Takumi didn’t remember yelling, but something caused Leo to turn just in time for the Tiger spirit to swipe a giant paw across his chest.

 

Takumi remembered staring at the Tiger spirit’s claws, razor sharp and dripping with the blood they had drawn. He remembered watching Leo drop Brynhildr when his knees buckled, falling quickly to the hard-packed ground like gravity was sucking him down. He remembered that Leo’s armor had looked completely unscathed, the spirit somehow able to reach past it and touch skin instead of being deflected like any other spirit would have been. He didn’t remember much else.

 

His mind had gone blank.

 

Elise and Sakura did what they could, but the wound was infused with magic and difficult to treat without the proper materials. They were able to at least keep him stable as they hurried back to the Hoshidan capital, running their horses to near collapse in their haste. Oboro had pushed her own horse even harder in order to reach the castle first, allowing for a small group of healers to meet them on the front steps. Leo was moved from horseback to a cot with the aid of his retainers and then carried into the castle, only Elise following after.

 

Takumi remembered moving in a bit of a trancelike state, following the others into the castle and leaving their horses with a few of the stable workers. Ryoma had found them quickly, Hinoka right on his heels. Takumi had stepped forward to relay what had happened, his words heavy with the weight of Leo’s injury.

 

No one spoke into the silence that followed.

 

A proper meeting would be held later, after news was given on Leo, but for the time being Ryoma had sent them all away to rest and tend to their injuries. Takumi hadn’t realized he was bleeding until Sakura told him, her gaze gentle as she healed the cut above his eyebrow and soothed the aching joints of his fingers. He couldn’t remember the last time his fingers had been bruised so badly after a battle.

 

It wasn’t until after he had washed the grime and dirt off of his skin, had changed into clean clothes, that he found himself outside of the healers wing of the castle. He stared at the doors now, shifting through his memories of the past day, and wondered how they could have been so foolish. No one should have gotten hurt like this.  _ Leo  _ shouldn’t have gotten hurt like this.

 

Takumi stood still for another moment before lifting a hand to push open the door, stepping into what served as the castle’s infirmary.

 

It was surprisingly quiet, only two healers within view with their heads bent together at the other end of the room. Only one bed was occupied, Takumi making his way towards it after a moment of hesitation. The sheets had only been drawn up to Leo’s waist, leaving his upper body bare save for the bandages that had been wrapped around his chest. One of the healers, having noticed his arrival, approached him after dismissing her partner, coming to stand at the foot of the bed.

 

“His wounds were serious,” she explained quietly, “but we have tended to them as best we could, Lord Takumi. He should recover given that he rests and that we removed all of the ill magic that poisoned the injury.”

 

Takumi nodded, not moving his gaze away from the Nohrian prince. “Thank you.”

 

The healer bowed her head before leaving him alone, the silence that followed sitting heavy on his shoulders.

 

He couldn’t remember if he had ever seen Leo look so disarmed, vulnerable as he was in his current state. The sharp edges that usually kept others away softened, his cold exterior melting into something less fierce. He was thinner than Takumi had thought, and while he certainly was physically fit, he didn’t have the same muscle definition as the Hoshidan magic users Takumi was used to seeing. Maybe it was because of the tomes Nohrians used instead, making the physical demands of magic lesser. It certainly didn’t make the other prince weak in Takumi’s mind, though.

 

Perhaps most striking, however, was the disarray of Leo’s hair. The Hoshidan prince had never seen it look anything but perfectly immaculate, always styled around the headband that Leo wore. Now, however, it was a mess. The blond strands stuck up at odd angles in some places, curling oddly in others, and his fringe fell across his forehead in a tangle. Takumi noted that it looked almost longer like this, left to its own devices rather than styled harshly. It still needed a serious brushing, though.

 

He reached out a hand before he could stop himself, carefully combing through the other’s fringe with his fingers and gently undoing the knots. It looked neater once he was finished getting the worst of the tangles, but still he continued to run his fingers through it. It was soft, thicker than he expected but still not as bad as his own, and he wondered if it was Leo’s natural color. He had heard that Camilla dyed her own hair, hence the atypical coloration, but that Elise and Xander were completely natural. Leo didn’t seem like the type to be overly vain, but Takumi had made misjudgments about him before.

 

He moved his hand away slowly, grabbing a nearby chair so he could sit down. The healer hadn’t said how long Leo would be unconscious for, but he would wait.

 

He would always wait for Leo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can't leave out the angst folks


	5. 100% Smitten

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Takumi just can't get over his own boyfriend

Takumi knew he should be studying. He knew he should be reading the pages in front of him and answering the corresponding review questions. He  _ shouldn’t  _ be sneaking peeks over to his boyfriend who was reclining in  _ his  _ bed and doing a much better job of studying. He had accepted Leo’s request to study together simply because he hadn’t thought the blond would end up being a distraction - and because he liked having his boyfriend around. But then again, when  _ wasn’t  _ Leo a distraction to him?

 

Takumi glanced over to where Leo sat next to him for the -nth time, leaning back against the pillows. He was lightly tapping his highlighter along to the beat of the Taylor Swift song currently playing through their shared headphones, eyes following the lines of text in front of him. His glasses were slipping a little down his nose and he used his free hand to push them back into place, not breaking his rhythm with the song.

 

The first time Takumi had seen Leo with his glasses had been an accident, in a way. He had knocked on the other’s window at one in the morning, shivering in a sweatshirt and a nightmare still lingering at the corners of his mind. When Leo had shoved up the window with the plastic frames balanced precariously on his nose, hair messy and a fold mark from his pillow on his cheek, Takumi had completely forgotten about his nightmare. Leo was often distracting in that way, able to draw Takumi’s full attention to him with ease and make him forget what he had originally been thinking about. Sometimes it was annoying, but most of the time Takumi didn’t care.

 

His boyfriend was nice to stare at, anyways.

 

Such as now with his hair falling over his forehead, headband discarded on Takumi’s dresser. He had turned the page now, but his highlighter was still tapping out the beat to Taylor’s song along the edge of the textbook. Takumi removed his own earbud and wondered, not for the first time, how he had landed someone so disarmingly cute.

 

“I hate how much you listen to Swift,” he commented, watching how Leo’s lips turned up at the corners.

 

He had dimples.

 

“You’re just jealous she can keep my attention longer than two minutes,” Leo teased, not looking away from his book.

 

Takumi snorted at the comment and watched Leo push up his glasses again. “Yeah, right. I’m also jealous that you have such a huge crush on her.”

 

Leo huffed out a quiet breath that sounded like a chuckle and finally -  _ finally  _ \- turned his head to look at Takumi. “Me? Having a crush on Taylor Swift? How did you ever find out my darkest secret?”

 

His eyes were shining with amusement and he was still smiling, the soft affection underlying his expression making Takumi’s heart ache. Did some people have this feeling every day? He couldn’t imagine how his heart would survive it.

 

“You’re such a fuckin’ dork.”

 

He reached for Leo without thinking, pulling him forward by the back of his neck to kiss him, studying forgotten. Leo made a soft noise under his lips but didn’t pull away, a hand coming up to rest against Takumi’s cheek. Really, it was unfair how soft the other was; his lips, his hands, his hair. Takumi tangled his fingers into the short strands at the back of Leo’s head, stroking gently. He drew back only because Leo pushed gently at his face, moving instead to tuck his face against the other’s neck and wrap his arms around his waist.

 

“Okay, okay,” Leo laughed, book sliding out of his lap as he shifted to accommodate Takumi. Highlighter discarded and earbud removed, Leo curled his body towards him and stroked the back of his neck with one hand. “What’s gotten into you?”

 

Takumi nuzzled the side of his neck and didn’t respond, not wanting to explain how he was overwhelmed by the sheer amount of affection he felt for his own boyfriend. He wasn’t certain he could put it into words, anyways. Leo didn’t push him for an answer, seemingly content to stroke the back of his neck and curl an arm around him. His own pencil was stabbing into his thigh, but he only used it as an excuse to press himself closer to Leo.

 

“You big softy.”

 

He heard Leo mumble it into his hair, his tone soft and affectionate. Takumi squeezed the blond in his arms and kissed the side of his neck, a warm feeling swelling in his chest. Maybe it was silly how head over heels he was for a guy who used to fight him over the only left-handed desk in class, but it didn’t matter now.

 

He wouldn’t change any of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leo definitely listens to Taylor Swift and enjoys it. Nothing will convince me otherwise.  
> Pretty short one, but sweet and simple


	6. Wasted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What could possibly go wrong in a snowball fight?

Takumi hated the cold if he was being completely honest. He hated winter in general, really. The biting winds, the freezing temperatures, the nearly invisible ice that he always managed to slip on when walking across campus; all of it. Except for snow.

 

As someone who had grown up in a place where there was little to no snow each winter, he found himself greatly appreciating the beauty of the fluffy white flakes. It was hard to be upset in any way when he could look out the window and watch the snow fall gently to the ground at almost any time. The notion to it being like a blanket made sense now that he had seen it fall that heavily in person. It was still cold and he hated when the wind picked up and made the flakes sting against his exposed skin, and he hated when it was so wet and heavy it stuck to his shoes; but he still loved it.

 

He enjoyed it enough to even let Corrin rope him into playing outside in it one weekend. It was a rare Saturday that he had off from work and he had planned to stay inside wrapped up in blankets, maybe read a book or binge-watch Netflix. Corrin had barged into his dorm bursting with energy and childlike mischief, all smiles as he persuaded Takumi to join him and some of the others outside. It was almost cruel how Corrin used his soft spot for snow to persuade him, but Takumi found himself not caring too much. He had a soft spot for Corrin too, anyways.

 

And that was how he found himself outside bundled up against the chill in the air, throwing snowballs at whoever came into his line of sight from his safe spot tucked behind a shrub. There were no set teams really, more of a free-for-all, but Takumi had gotten everyone at least once within the first five minutes, making him enemy number one. He had the best aim and accuracy out of anyone in their group, so he couldn’t say it surprised him. What surprised him more was how Corrin hadn’t seen it coming, the other boy’s look of utter betrayal when Takumi nailed him in the shoulder resurfacing in his mind.

 

Takumi peered cautiously out from his cover to assess the “field,” noting the quiet that had seemed to settle. He knew Oboro and Hana were closest to him, crouched behind a statue of some founder to his right. Corrin was behind a similar shrub to his own near the footpath, while Odin and Hinata were closer to his left behind the poor cover of a bench. Corrin was obviously the unspoken leader of the others, so Takumi decided to focus on him, figuring if he got him to surrender then the others would follow his lead.

 

The other boy was probably making snowballs behind his own cover, and would likely pop up again to throw in the next minute or so. If Takumi could time his own throw right, then he could nail Corrin in the chest before the other dropped down again. He thought it was a decent enough plan, good enough for a simple snowball fight.

 

That is, until the execution.

 

He was right in guessing Corrin would come out from cover in the next minute, but instead of remaining crouched the other boy fully rose to his feet in order to throw. Takumi didn’t let it sway him, shifting onto his knees and adjusting his aim to accommodate the extra height. He released his snowball as Corrin threw his, knowing that Corrin’s aim would be off by a few feet and thus making his own throw safe without the risk of being hit. What he didn’t expect was for Corrin to drop down at the last second to dodge, reflexes faster than Takumi had anticipated. He watched as his snowball flew over the shrub and instead smacked into the face of another student passing by on the footpath, sending the poor guy to the ground.

 

“Shit.”

 

Takumi abandoned his cover to hurry over to the guy, Corrin already helping him scrape the snow from his face while pouring out apologies. “Are you okay?” Corrin was asking when Takumi got to them, looking down at the other student.

 

He didn’t look immediately familiar, but Takumi had the vague sense he knew the guy. Blond hair, nice coat, a book bag with a few pins attached to it - maybe someone from one of his classes. The guy was wiping the last of the snow from his cheek, gloved fingers damp now, and thankfully didn’t look too upset.

 

“I’m okay,” he assured, looking to Corrin first before his gaze was drawn to Takumi. “Did you throw that?”

 

Takumi nodded, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck. “Yeah, sorry. That wasn’t meant for-”

 

Of all the things Takumi would have expected, being tackled into the snow was probably one of the last. Well, not exactly tackled, more like having his feet kicked out from under him and then having his face shoved into the snow. He let out a yell of protest when he felt a hand slink past the collar of his coat, bringing with it a handful of fresh snow.

 

“What the fuck, _ hey _ -!”

 

As quickly as it had happened it was done, the sound of Corrin’s laughter filling his ears as he hurriedly shoved himself to his knees. Whipping around, he found the guy sitting back on his heels, a smile curling at his lips and snow still clinging to the fabric of his gloves.

 

“Payback,” he said, as if it was the simplest thing in the world.

 

Takumi felt betrayed by his own body when his heart skipped a beat, his blush thankfully not noticeable due to his already flushed complexion. “I could have just bought you a coffee or something, fuck.”

 

“While tempting, that isn’t quite as fun.”

 

It was completely unfair to look so attractive when one was red from the cold and still had snow in their hair, eyelashes glittering with water droplets. Takumi didn’t even know the guy’s name and yet his heart beat a little faster when a tongue moved out to lick dry lips.

 

“What’s your name?”

 

The guy paused, blinking in surprise before responding, “Leo.”

 

“Leo.” Takumi took in another breath, surprising himself by asking, “Wanna join the fight, Leo?”

 

Corrin had already left them once their attention was off him, returning to the snowball fight that was now more evenly matched. Leo looked past Takumi to watch it unfold, a smirk pulling at his lips and making him look hot and dangerous at the same time.

 

“You’re on.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Corrin is male simply because why not? ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯
> 
> Also I just wanna mention that if anyone has suggestions/prompts they would be interested in me writing, I'm 100% open to that!! I'll do my best to satisfy you ; )


	7. Between a Wall and a Hard Dick

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Takumi has a point to prove, but Leo wants nothing to do with it. Things escalate quickly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This'll be the latest I've ever updated, but just know I hadn't forgotten I've just been exhausted from work and classes  
> Enjoy some smut

“So, you think I’m strong, huh?”

 

Leo froze in the midst of replacing a book to its proper place on the shelf, almost dropping it when his fingers twitched with his repressed urge to flee on the spot. He took a few seconds to breathe in deeply before finishing the process of sliding the book into place, only turning to look at Takumi once he was confident he wasn’t blushing.

 

The archer was standing casually at the end of the aisle with his arms crossed, hip cocked absently to one side and effectively blocking Leo’s escape route. He could always shove himself through one of the bookshelves, but he didn’t think that would be very polite to the Hoshidan bookkeepers - he also wasn’t very confident he could fit either. Takumi raised an eyebrow at him after a few seconds, obviously waiting for an answer, and Leo managed a scowl at his impatience.

 

“I have no doubt that Hoshidan archers are perfectly capable at what they do.”

 

“That’s great and all, but it wasn’t what I asked. Should I repeat myself for you?”

 

Now he  _ was _ blushing, though it was more of an angered flush. “I heard you perfectly well.”

 

“Oh, good,” Takumi nodded, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. “I was worried that Nohrians might be hard of hearing. Or maybe that’s just the nobles.”

 

Leo almost snapped back a response, the words ready on the tip of his tongue, but Xander’s warning about “playing nice” echoed in the back of his mind and kept his lips sealed. His elder brother had made it perfectly clear that he wanted both royal families to get along with each other, hence the specific warning to Leo. Everyone knew that the two younger princes didn’t get along well, though they were much better than they had been in the past. They were, unfortunately, more alike than they had initially cared to admit. The bickering never stopped, though, which was why Leo attempted to rein himself in now even when faced with Takumi’s smug look as if he knew the Nohrian prince couldn’t say anything back to him.

 

Leo took in another breath and released it before asking, “Did you need something?”

 

Takumi nodded as he took a step forward. “Yes, for you to answer my original question.”

 

“Why?”

 

“Because-” Takumi stopped himself, pausing as if to reconsider his own words. “Because I want to know if it’s true.”

 

Leo opened his mouth and closed it again, uncertain how to respond to such a straightforward answer. He reconsidered climbing through one of the bookshelves, wondering if damaging a few of the older novels would be worth his escape from the situation.

 

Takumi didn’t give him much time to think about it, taking another step towards him and then another, unfolding his arms as he got closer. Leo automatically stepped back, though his back quickly bumped into the wall behind him and he found himself forced to watch as the space between them got smaller and smaller. Either Hoshidans had no value of personal space or this was escalating much quicker than he had imagined it would.

 

He wasn’t liking his odds, thus far.

 

Takumi had an almost skeptical look on his face, like he was considering some strategy that he hadn’t tested yet. What made it odd was the edge of amusement to the look, his lips still curled up in an almost smirk that made Leo’s stomach twist uncomfortably.

 

“Do you think I’m strong?” He asked again, the glint in his eye making Leo want to melt into the shadows. “You’ve seen me in battle before. Do you think about it then? Or is it outside of battle, when no one’s watching?”

 

He was close enough to touch now, their eyes level with each other. Leo hadn’t realized how close they were in height or how Takumi’s eyes were a lovely shade of maroon, a darker shade of burgundy outlining the rim of his iris. He knew he was blushing fully now, cheeks burning with a conflicting combination of arousal and shame. Takumi’s hands came up to rest on the wall at either side of his head, trapping them into a small bubble of their own.

 

“I’ve seen you staring,” the other prince continued, his voice almost a murmur now. “You think I don’t see it, but I do. It’s funny, because I always thought you would catch me first, but I guess the gods are interesting that way.”

 

Leo jerked a little at the admission, his mind scrambling to process the words and the light blush he saw on Takumi’s face. Had he really just-?

 

“I am strong, you know,” Takumi hummed, his hands moving suddenly to Leo’s sides, making him jump slightly. They moved down slowly, caressing him through his shirt and effectively scattering his thoughts. “You’ve seen me lift Sakura. I can lift Hinoka too, when she lets me. I help out with the servants sometimes if they need something heavy lifted. Bales of hay in the stables, raw ore and bundles of weapons in the smithy-”

 

Takumi moved fast, Leo knew that, but he still wasn’t prepared for how quickly the other lifted him from the floor entirely, hands sliding down to grasp his thighs and balance him between the wall and his own body weight. Leo didn’t know what to do with his hands, scrambling at the wall briefly before he latched onto Takumi’s shoulders, breath catching in his throat and eyes wide.

 

“Nohrian princes in the library.” The archer said, voice hushed.

 

They were in a darkened corner of the library, no windows or lanterns near enough to fully illuminate them and the position they were in. The bookkeepers rarely bothered Leo when he visited, really only interacting with him when he approached them first, so he being caught wasn’t something he was particularly concerned about. If anything, he was worried about completely losing the ability to breathe, his chest tight with something he couldn’t identify. Takumi was simply staring at him now, blush not quite as vivid as Leo’s but still noticeable across the bridge of his nose and cheekbones. They were close enough that their breathing intermingled, the air shared between them strung with a tension neither were quite ready to break. Takumi’s hands flexed briefly on his thighs and Leo thought he might combust if they didn’t move in the next five seconds, so he hooked his calves around the other’s waist and pulled him forward.

 

His first thought was a self-conscious one; he had no idea how to kiss. His second thought was less so; Takumi’s lips were softer than he could have ever imagined.

 

It was lucky because he quickly realized that neither of them really knew what they were doing, but at the same time it didn’t matter. Leo was able to wrap his arms around Takumi’s neck and keep him pressed flush against his body with his legs, uncaring if his growing erection was obvious since he could feel Takumi’s own pressed against him. The archer’s hair was tied back, but that didn’t stop him from running his fingers through it while the other slid their tongues together. Leo surprised himself by gasping into Takumi’s mouth when he dared to rock his hips forward, the friction more than he could have ever achieved with his hand alone.

 

Takumi moved back first, face more flushed than before as he sucked in air to breathe. Leo gladly took the pause to breathe as well, distracting himself from the pounding of his heart by combing his fingers through Takumi’s fringe. With his hair moved away from his forehead, Leo spotted a small scar near his hairline.

 

“What’s that from?” He asked, brushing his thumb against the raised skin.

 

Takumi blinked a few times as if to clear his vision, their noses bumping together when he turned his head to kiss Leo’s cheek. “Um, it’s from when Hinoka accidentally hit me with her naginata when we were training one time.”

 

Leo blinked once, twice, before a laugh bubbled out of his mouth and eased some of the tension that still lingered between them. Takumi had an odd smile on his face, one Leo had never seen before.

 

“How old were you?”

 

“Sixteen.”

 

Leo barked out another laugh, unable to help himself. “This was only three years ago?”

 

Takumi huffed out what sounded like an offended noise and silenced Leo with a quick thrust of his hips, earning instead a choked off moan.

 

“Not fair,” Leo mumbled, shivering as Takumi pressed a kiss to his neck.

 

The archer didn’t respond, apparently more interested in the newfound sensitivity of Leo’s neck. He slowly pressed openmouthed kisses along the pale stretch of skin, nipping occasionally to make the other jolt lightly in his hold. Leo tipped his head back carefully to rest it against the wall behind him, fingers briefly digging into Takumi’s shoulders before sliding further down to his biceps. They didn’t have the same swell as say Silas, who had been wielding swords and lances alike for years, but he could still feel the muscle there that was partly responsible for keeping his feet off the floor.

 

“Should have known you would enjoy being carried around,” Takumi muttered against his throat.

 

“Shut up,” Leo grunted, hating how he practically melted when Takumi started to suck a mark under his jaw.

 

He tugged on the other’s hair to move his head back and drag him into another kiss, not missing how the prince groaned softly in response. The kissing was messy and uncoordinated, their lack of experience obvious but not making the moment any lesser. Takumi’s hips twitched against his own in minute movements and they both moaned whenever their clothed erections brushed against each other, both too shy to attempt a more direct approach. Leo, as he had earlier, decided to try taking the initiative, pulling away from their kissing once he became too breathless to continue.

 

“Follow my rhythm, okay?” He breathed, cupping Takumi’s face in his hands to make certain he had the other’s complete attention.

 

“Okay, okay.”

 

He waited a beat, giving them both a chance to breathe, before he tentatively rolled his hips forward, biting hard on his lip to keep from gasping aloud.  Takumi’s breath hitched at the movement, a small tremble in his arms giving away that he was starting to get tired. Leo tried not to worry about getting dropped as he rolled his hips again, keeping a silent rhythm in his head as he began to move more consistently. Takumi seemed to pick it up fairly quickly, soon moving to meet Leo as they started to move in time with each other. Leo noticed that they both seemed adamant about remaining as quiet as possible, their heavy breathing the only noticeable noise between them.

 

It wasn’t the frantic rutting they had started out doing, it was more coordinated than that, but it still led to that familiar tightening in his gut that Leo recognized as his approaching orgasm. Takumi had closed his eyes a short while ago, likely overwhelmed, so Leo allowed himself to stare openly in the handful of seconds he had left of this moment.

 

Takumi’s blush spread across the bridge of his nose, somehow seeming not as bright as Leo would have expected with his pale complexion. His lips were kiss-swollen and still slick with saliva, whether his own or Leo’s, and he was gasping openly as he approached his own release. His eyebrows were somehow perfectly immaculate, not a single hair out of place, and his eyelashes were surprisingly long, nearly unnoticeable in their paleness. Leo was almost startled when Takumi opened his eyes again, staring back at him with such a surprising amount of affection in his gaze that Leo came with his next thrust.

 

His back arched away from the wall as he threw his head back with a final moan, Takumi’s name falling from his lips in a stuttered gasp. Takumi seemed to follow in suit, muffling his own groan by biting at Leo’s throat one last time, the sting making Leo hiss softly. They both were quiet as they slowly relaxed, their breathing heavy as they came down from their respective highs. Leo absently combed his fingers through Takumi’s hair one last time, straightening his fringe best he could.

 

“I’m going to set you down,” the archer announced, moving away from the other’s neck.

 

“I don’t think I can feel my legs.” Leo admitted.

 

Takumi huffed out a quiet laugh and carefully set him down anyways, his hands hovering around Leo’s hips just in case he did actually fall. Leo leaned against the wall instead, hands falling down to his sides as he tried to fully process what the fuck had just happened.

 

Takumi, of course, had to ruin his thought process again by asking, “So, do you still think I’m strong?”

 

Leo just barely resisted the urge to punch him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Suggestions welcome if you have any <3  
> The first version of this was where Camilla finding them served as a quick ending, but then I decided I wanted them to rut in peace so I wrote it again ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯


	8. Warm and Slow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> That one warm, wet feeling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No beta, per usual

As annoying as his boyfriend could be at times, it was nice to actually wake up with him in bed.

 

While they had both agreed to the long distance aspect of their relationship, it was still hard to only see each other through video calls and pictures for weeks at a time. Granted, it arguably made each personal visit all the more special, but it was still hard.

 

That was why Leo didn’t immediately roll out of bed as he usually did in the mornings, too often eager to leave behind the empty bed he slept in most nights. Instead, as he slowly blinked into wakefulness, he remained where he was tucked into Takumi’s arms. They had both been too exhausted for much last night, Takumi from his flight and Leo from the drive to and from the airport.

 

It was worth it, though, to wake up and feel Takumi’s warm breath against his neck, to feel the steady rise and fall of his chest against his back. It was worth it because he could reach down and feel where Takumi’s arms were entwined tightly around his middle, keeping him close. The wait was worth it each time, even if it also got harder.

 

Leo couldn’t turn over, caught in his boyfriend’s arms as he was, so he settled with gently shaking the other’s arm to rouse him. Leo felt Takumi shift behind him, arms tightening around his middle and pulling him subtly closer while intelligible grumbles came in response. He couldn’t help smiling at his boyfriend’s reluctance to move and soothingly rubbed his arm.

 

“Come on,” he insisted gently. “We can’t stay in bed all day.”

 

Takumi groaned quietly in complaint and pressed his face into the back of Leo’s neck, lips warm where they brushed against his skin. Leo sighed softly, allowing the gentle affection, until he felt the kisses start to stray lower and Takumi’s hands dip down to the hem of his shirt. Leo knew this tactic. He knew exactly what Takumi was going to try to do, and he also knew that he was going to give in after about five minutes. He squirmed slightly when Takumi’s hands nudged against the skin of his stomach, lips brushing under the soft hairs at the back of his neck.

 

“Takumi-” He started only to cut himself off with a soft gasp when Takumi quickly slid one hand up his shirt to thumb one nipple. His fingers were warm, thankfully, as they circled lightly around the hardening nub, derailing Leo’s thoughts quickly with each pass. Takumi kissed his shoulder next, starting to slip down the mattress as he pressed his lips to Leo’s spine in small, barely there kisses. It was distracting, to say the least, and oddly overwhelming as each touch seemed to only make him more sensitive. Leo arched his back subtly as Takumi nipped just above his tailbone, fingers still teasing around one nipple at the same slow pace as his kisses.

 

“Takumi, wait-” Leo tried again, breath hitching in his throat when Takumi used his free hand to pull down his underwear, letting the waistband settle just under his now exposed backside. The heat of the other’s breath ghosted over his skin and made him tremble with anticipation, both surprised and not by his own arousal. Takumi had a talent in making him aroused at the drop of a hat, and this was proving to be no exception.

 

Leo muffled his gasp by pressing his face into the pillow underneath him as Takumi’s tongue dragged across his perineum. His free hand made itself known again by grasping one ass cheek and spreading him, allowing him to give Leo’s entrance a teasing lick. Leo bit into the fabric of the pillow as Takumi continued with a few more broad strokes, pressing in closer as his tongue got more curious. The first nudge of his tongue proper against Leo’s entrance made him moan, a sharp jolt running through him as Takumi decided to tweak the nipple still in his hold at the same time. Leo struggled not to squirm as Takumi probed deeper, his tongue carefully pressing in further and drawing more muffled noises from the blond.

 

It was the slow, gentle pace that took him apart bit by bit. Takumi licked his way deeper in slow, broad strokes that had Leo shaking against the mattress, small jolts running through him whenever Takumi pressed a little too deep or toyed with his nipples more intently. There was a wet spot on the pillow where he continued to bite into it, his heavy breathing and saliva dampening the fabric. His hands clutched at the pillow like a lifeline, whining when Takumi slid one hand to his hip to pull him closer and keep him anchored in place.

 

Takumi didn’t let up until he orgasmed. A few careful thrusts of his tongue and a light slap to Leo’s ass and he was gone, muffling his cry of pleasure against the pillows as he came. His hips jerked against the sheets, body shaking, but Takumi kept him in place with a firm hand, licking him through his orgasm in the same broad strokes he had started with. Leo panted heavily as he gradually relaxed, sinking into the mattress as Takumi soothingly rubbed a hand up his back.

 

Takumi crawled his way back up to settle behind Leo, curling his arms around his waist again to tug him close and nuzzle into the back of his neck. Leo sighed softly as he settled in his boyfriend’s embrace, knowing he would regret falling asleep in the wet spot of his own come but unable to stave off the drowsiness he felt. Takumi traced light patterns against his bare stomach with his fingers as they both drifted towards sleep again, soothing him into a peaceful sleep.

 

They had the whole week ahead of them, after all. There was no rush.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello I am alive and I bring more smut because some people??? write smut??? to cope????????  
> Also, Takumi is 100% an ass man and nothing will convince me otherwise
> 
> Suggestions welcome folks, and enjoy!  
> (imsorrythatitsshortidonthavetimeforanythingfuckme)


	9. Used

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's always more to it than what you think

He knew something was wrong because Leo didn’t bother saying anything before tugging him into a hard kiss, tongue pressing forward to pry between his lips.

 

His hands went to the blond’s waist automatically, but the thought lingered in the back of his mind. Leo had texted him asking him to come over, but he hadn’t thought much of it. Now, though, he wondered if maybe he should have asked why. The way Leo tugged insistently at his collar, pressing his entire body against Takumi’s and subtly grinding his hips, already hard, spoke of some underlying tension that he wanted fucked out of him. Takumi had mentioned in the past that using sex as a coping mechanism really wasn’t healthy, but Leo had only snorted and fell to his knees so he could suck him off.

 

As much as he loved his boyfriend, sometimes he really wished they could just talk instead of falling into their usual pattern.

 

As Leo hooked a leg around his hips, grinding more insistently against him, Takumi tangled his fingers in his hair and harshly tugged his head to the side to bite at his neck. Leo hissed at the brief pain before Takumi soothed it with his tongue, a low moan falling from his lips.

 

“Leave a mark,” Leo requested, panting.

 

Takumi obliged him and sucked at the pale skin, nipping hard enough to bruise while Leo practically keened. It was a little too high, but neither of them held much care for adhering to social norms anyways. Leo looked good with hickeys on his neck, too, spurring Takumi to leave one even higher while Leo fumbled with his belt.

 

The shakiness of his hands made Takumi withdraw, frown pulling at his lips, but Leo hurried to distract him by slipping a hand down his jeans. His other hand grasped at Takumi’s shoulder to keep himself balanced while slowly stroking him to full hardness, their lips meeting again between breathless groans. Takumi moved his hands to Leo’s thighs and properly hoisted him up into his arms, the blond’s legs curling around his middle and his hand briefly slipping free from his jeans. Their tongues intertwined as he moved them out of the entryway, knowing already that Leo would be home alone. It was rare that he wasn’t, after all, and even rarer still that he invited Takumi over when his family  _ was  _ around.

 

Takumi remembered one of those times well because it was one of the only times he sincerely felt like murdering someone. Leo lived with both his sisters and his father, his eldest brother having left on his own a few years ago. Camilla was old enough to live on her own as well, but Leo had told Takumi she had a stronger attachment than Xander had to the family. Family had been said with strong quotation marks around it. Takumi had discovered quickly, however, that there was more to it than that. He had discovered a lot of things that day, his desire for murder being only one of many.

 

Takumi pressed his tongue piercing against Leo’s bottom lip and sighed against his mouth as the blond nipped at the tip. He didn’t hesitate to drop him onto the couch as they reached the living room, kneeling on the cushions over him and taking a moment to breathe and admire.

 

Leo’s eyeliner was on point, as usual, and it brought out the gold flecks in his brown eyes that were begging at this point. He had left out his septum piercing today, but his snake bites and eyebrow piercings glinted a dark blue, his lipstick perfectly matching as always. Takumi reached forward to run a hand through the blond’s hair to muss it up while admiring the marks he had left on his neck, leaning down to kiss one of his collarbones. His shirt was black mesh today, showing off his pale skin nicely, and his nipples were especially prominent through the material. Takumi didn’t hesitate to kiss his way down to them, dragging his tongue across one hardened nub.

 

Leo pushed his fingers into his hair, squirming underneath him, and fumbled with the tie that kept his hair back. Takumi let him struggle with undoing it, content to nip and suck at the blond’s chest and listen to his low moans. His hair spilled down around his shoulders when Leo finally succeeded, the other’s hands immediately pushing into it with a pleased noise.

 

Takumi slid his hands down to Leo’s hips to the front of his jeans, undoing them with steadier hands than Leo’s as he kissed down the blond’s stomach. Leo kept one hand in his hair while the other aided in pushing down his jeans, lifting his hips so Takumi could pull them down enough to have access to his cock. It was straining against his dark, almost sheer briefs, a wet spot just barely visible in the black fabric. Takumi lightly brushed his lips across it, holding Leo’s hips still as he dragged his tongue against the bulge. Leo gasped above him, thighs trembling, as Takumi mouthed against him through the material, soaking them further with his own saliva. It wasn’t until Leo was mumbling “Please,  _ please _ ” under his breath that Takumi moved down the waistband of his underwear.

 

His cock was flushed red and dripping, curving up towards his stomach as Takumi moved away the briefs containing it. He hummed softly under his breath as he kissed the sensitive underside, earning a pained noise from Leo. He carefully took the head into his mouth, teasing the slit briefly with his piercing to hear the blond choke before moving further down.

 

Leo was better at giving blowjobs between the two of them, his lack of a gag reflex practically godsend, but Takumi made his own way with the advantage of his tongue piercing. Leo could deepthroat him like no tomorrow, but Takumi knew how to tease him to hell and back again without letting him come once. Leo both hated and loved him for it, and Takumi knew that very well.

 

He kept Leo’s hips still with a firm hold as he slowly dragged his tongue against the sensitive skin of his cock, noting the fingers that tightened in his hair. Leo’s other hand clutched at the throw pillow beneath his head, hips twitching with the suppressed desire to move. Takumi glanced upwards for a moment and was pleased to see Leo’s head thrown back against the arm of the couch, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he moaned with each pass of Takumi’s tongue.

 

“Taku,” Leo gasped, sucking in a shuddering breath. “Taku,  _ fuck _ , please.”

 

Takumi hummed low in his throat and watched with pleasure as Leo whimpered, mouth falling open as he panted heavily. He moved back up to suckle at the tip, again dragging his piercing across the slit and underside, and had Leo coming within seconds, choking on his next moan. Takumi slid his hands under Leo to squeeze his ass in encouragement as he swallowed, listening to the other whine when he finally released him with one last teasing lick.

 

Leo accepted the kiss Takumi gave him as he crawled back up over him, grinding his own still prominent erection against the blond’s stomach. Something tickled at the back of his mind in the brief lull, trying to remind him of something as he gave Leo a few moments to relax. It had been about Leo, that much he knew, but the haze of his arousal made it difficult to think past that. Leo blinking up at him with those wide, still lust-blown eyes didn’t help either, his cock pulsing within the confines of his own skinny jeans.

 

Leo pushed lightly at his chest and Takumi carefully sat back on his knees, watching as his boyfriend sat up to properly remove his pants and underwear. He pulled open the drawer of the side table that sat next to the couch and removed an all too familiar bottle, reaching in once more to pull out a square of foil. Takumi wondered briefly if Leo had planned this out before the blond was pushing him down onto his back, straddling his hips.

 

Takumi slid his hands up Leo’s thighs as the blond popped open the lid to the lube and squeezed some onto his fingers. As he reached one hand behind himself, Takumi admired the pink flush to his skin and the way his nipples poked through the mesh of his shirt. He slid one hand up to tweak one of said nipples, making Leo hiss softly, still sensitive. While Leo fingered himself open, Takumi took it upon himself to coax him back to a full erection, toying with his chest, teasing the soft skin of his inner thighs, murmuring a few quiet, dirty promises that made the blond sigh and moan in encouragement.

 

Leo didn’t always let him touch him like this. It was understandable with his still prominent insecurities, but they had made progress together. Over a year ago Takumi wouldn’t have even imagined being able to touch and hold Leo like this, to be able to freely move his hands over him. He loved being able to touch the tattoos inked into Leo’s skin instead of just admiring with his eyes; he loved feeling the blond shiver underneath his fingers, to feel the warmth of his body; he loved knowing exactly how to pick Leo apart and make him whimper with need, to be able to do that to him and know he loves it.

 

It might have been simple, but Takumi loved touching his boyfriend. He wouldn’t trade the experience for anything in the world.

 

Leo was starting to move his hips in small, minute twitches back against his fingers. His cock was half-hard again and Takumi snuck a hand down to squeeze his own aching erection. He was relieved when Leo finally withdrew his fingers, sitting back to watch Takumi move his own underwear down and roll the condom onto his cock. He used the lube still on his fingers and a little extra to slick up Takumi’s dick, teasingly thumbing the end to earn a low groan before releasing him.

 

“Leo,” Takumi moaned as the blond positioned himself above him, balancing a hand on his shoulder.

 

“Takumi,” Leo mumbled in response. They both moaned as he sunk down onto Takumi’s cock, taking him slowly but surely until he was fully seated.

 

There was a moment of stillness after that first slow slide. Leo arched his hips and groaned quietly, eyes closed and his hands pressed into Takumi’s shoulders. Takumi slid his hands back to squeeze the blond’s ass before moving to settle on his hips, circling his thumbs appreciatively against Leo’s hipbones. His jeans were definitely going to chafe and he felt a little gross being mostly clothed still, sweat gathering quickly on his skin, but seeing Leo tremble above him was worth it.

 

Leo moved first, his patience having always been lesser than Takumi’s. He slowly lifted himself up, relishing in the slow drag of Takumi sliding out of him until only the head remained. Takumi exhaled harshly, fingers tightening against Leo’s skin as he restrained himself from outright thrusting up into the blond. Leo sunk back down at the same slow pace, repeating the action again and again as he found his own rhythm. Takumi started meeting his movements easily, thrusting up as Leo moved down and angling his hips to press against his prostate with each slide. Leo gasped aloud at the first nudge, fingers twisting into the material of Takumi’s shirt as he increased his pace.

 

They always fucked like it was their last night together. It was hard, fast, and occasionally toed the line of punishing. Leo melted into it like it was his element, eager and wanting, and Takumi rarely minded being able to watch him come apart in that way over and over again, little differences making each time unique. The difference was a little more glaring this time, stirring a bit of concern in Takumi as they continued to move together.

 

Leo’s hands were still shaking.

 

The hand not clenched into his shirt had began to comb through Takumi’s hair, and with each pass Takumi could feel his fingers trembling. He might have thought it was from overstimulation had he not noticed the same thing earlier, reminding him of his earlier worry of something being wrong. Leo was successful in chasing the thoughts away again as he leaned down to kiss Takumi messily, more tongue and saliva than actual kissing.

 

They moaned into each other’s mouths as Leo clenched around Takumi, his pace increasing with his urgency. Takumi slid a hand around to press into the dip of Leo’s spine, making him arch more as he moved his mouth to bite at the blond’s pierced ear. Leo hissed against his neck, moans rising in pitch with each rough thrust as he neared orgasm. Takumi sucked a mark onto the small tattoo hidden behind Leo’s ear and relished in the resulting whine, using his free hand to slide between them and grasp the blond’s own erection.

 

Leo fell apart within seconds, still sensitive from his earlier orgasm and desperate for a second. Takumi grunted as Leo clenched around him again and came into his hand, muffling his resulting keening by biting into Takumi’s shoulder. He sunk against the other with a few muffled, but pleased noises while Takumi paused in his movements, breathing heavily as he lightly stroked Leo’s spine. It took a few moments, but Leo soon rocked his hips again to encourage him, tilting his head to bite lightly at Takumi’s matching pierced earlobe.

 

“Don’t stop,” he requested breathlessly, moving his hips again.

 

Takumi slid an arm fully around the blond’s waist to press their bodies fully together, the cooling wetness of Leo’s release only slightly discomforting. His other hand slid up to tangle into Leo’s hair as he thrusted up into him again, making the other gasp.

 

He slowed his pace significantly from what Leo had initially set, making the blond feel each slide as he moved steadily in and out of him. If Leo hadn’t come twice already, he might have been able to coax him into another orgasm, but he still didn’t let Leo’s pleasure shift to the wayside even as he sought his own release. He brushed against the blond’s prostate with each thrust, making him shiver and jolt lightly, little mewl-like noises falling from his lips. Takumi came to the sound of Leo gasping wetly against his ear, now properly overstimulated and practically melting in Takumi’s arms.

 

Breathing heavily, Takumi nuzzled Leo’s temple and let his now limp cock slide free of him. He left the condom for the time being to instead tend to the blond in his arms, stroking his spine again and murmuring a few soothing words. Leo shook slightly above him, fingers again twisted into his shirt, and Takumi stiffened when he heard a slight hiccuping noise.

 

“Leo?” He asked softly, still a bit breathless.

 

The blond shook his head against Takumi’s shoulder and simply pressed closer, however impossible it might have been with how close they already were. Takumi didn’t say anything else, merely tightened his hold on Leo and continued stroking his back. He ignored the slight dampness growing on his shoulder and the occasional hiccup that continued to slip out from Leo, staring up at the unnecessarily vaulted ceiling above them.

 

He didn’t know what was wrong, but he would wait to ask. His first instincts had been right, at least, and he wondered what would have happened had he insisted on talking instead of going straight to sex.

 

There was no point in guessing now, but for the next time he promised himself that he would ask first. They couldn’t keep doing this, that much he knew.

 

Leo deserved better than that. They both did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> y'all are so sweet I had to write something for you to make up for my long absences  
> here's 6 pages worth of emotional smut ヽ(〃v〃)ﾉ 
> 
> part of the goth!leo/punk!takumi idea I have in my head, but can just be a standalone  
> suggestions always welcome!


	10. Public Setting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Takumi's bored so he takes it out on Leo.

“Hey, Leo.”

 

The blond didn’t move his eyes from his laptop screen, making a noncommittal noise in response.

 

“Leo, I’m bored.”

 

“How tragic,” Leo muttered, eyebrows furrowing as he frowned at something on his screen.

 

Takumi leaned his cheek against one hand, elbow resting on the table, while his other hand slid into his pocket. “No sympathy? Harsh, babe.”

 

“Oh, hush,” Leo sighed, absently pushing his glasses up. “Some of us have actual work to do.”

 

“You’ve read over your thesis at least ten times.”

 

“And I will keep reading it over and over until I’m satisfied.”

 

Takumi huffed and fell quiet for a few minutes, simply watching his boyfriend fiddle around on his laptop. He let his eyes wander briefly to the surrounding coffee shop they were in, noting the lack of customers as he fiddled with the small remote hidden away in his pocket.

 

After a few more beats, he asked, “Hey, Leo?”

 

The blond hummed quietly, again not lifting his eyes from the laptop screen.

 

“Babe.”

 

“Takumi, please.”

 

“No, are you okay?”

 

Leo frowned again, finally looking over the top of his screen to meet Takumi’s gaze. “What? Of course I-”

 

Takumi pressed one button on the small remote and watched as Leo stiffened in his seat, eyes widening briefly before narrowing.

 

“Takumi-”

 

“I was just gonna say,” Takumi said with a growing smirk. “You’re lookin’ a little stiff.”

 

“Takumi, turn it off.” Leo hissed, shooting a sharp glance over his shoulder towards the other patrons of the cafe.

 

“Turn what off?”

 

“Don’t be a smartass, you little shit.”

 

Takumi carefully slid the remote out of his pocket, small enough to hide in the palm of his hand even as he teasingly flashed it in Leo’s direction. Leo’s eyes immediately zeroed in on it, a tinge of red starting to color his cheeks.

 

“Takumi, we are in  _ public- _ ”

 

“Yeah?” Takumi pressed the same button again and watched Leo slap his laptop closed, exhaling harshly. “I wouldn’t have guessed.”

 

Leo almost growled at him, making a lunge for the remote only to have Takumi lean back in his seat, keeping it effectively out of his reach. He slid the device back into his pocket as he snuck a glance under the table, confirming - yes, Leo had his legs crossed. Tightly.

 

“Takumi, if you don’t turn that off-” Leo started to threaten, cheeks properly red now.

 

“You’ll what?” Takumi raised an eyebrow at him, nonchalantly picking up his coffee cup to take a sip. “If you say cut off my dick, let me tell you now that’s getting old. We both know you like it.”

 

Leo huffed indignantly and shifted in his seat, Takumi not missing the minute shudder that went through him. He leaned forward again, resting his arms on the table as he lowered his voice to the sultry purr he knew the blond liked.

 

“Didn’t you want me to do this? To watch you squirm while everyone around us remained unaware? No one knows but us and you love it.”

 

“That’s not- I just-” Leo spluttered, eyes flickering worriedly to the side again even as his flush spread to his neck.

 

Takumi’s smirk widened, watching his boyfriend squirm. “We both know you enjoy this,” he murmured, lowering his voice to a whisper. “You’re such a  _ slut. _ ”

 

Leo closed his eyes briefly, as if concentration alone could change anything, and Takumi eyed how his throat bobbed with one harsh swallow. He would admit it was a little risky, but nothing overly extreme. If anything, they might get kicked out, but that would only happen if Leo gave them away. Leo would recognize the game easily, never slow on the uptake, if he hadn’t already which Takumi didn’t doubt. Now it was just a matter of seeing how long it would last.

 

Takumi snapped his fingers and Leo’s eyes were immediately open again, looking a touch dazed. “Hey, relax,” he soothed, voice still low. “You’re just working on your thesis, right?”

 

Leo shot him a withering glare which was dampened by the blush still on his cheeks. Still, he opened his laptop again and straightened out his spine, breathing slowly.

 

Takumi hid his smirk behind his coffee cup. The game was on.

 

He kept the remote in his pocket for the sake of being subtle, but he did keep one hand there, getting a better feel for the settings while Leo pointedly ignored him. He didn’t try the highest setting, not yet, keeping it between low and medium for the time being, but he did try the pulsation at its lowest setting. Leo’s eyes fluttered behind his glasses, falling to half-mast, and his hands twitched on his laptop keyboard.

 

“It’s right on your prostate, right?” Takumi asked in a soft voice, watching the blond bite his lip.

 

“Shut up,” Leo muttered, tone lacking any real venom.

 

“Mm?” Takumi raised an eyebrow, thoroughly entertained now. He tapped one of the buttons, nudging the pulsation setting up another level. “What was that?”

 

Leo’s fingers spasmed on his keyboard before curling into fists, his next inhale shaky but determined. He looked Takumi in the eye as he said, “It is.”

 

Takumi grinned, bringing the level back down and watching Leo relax again, albeit minutely. “Tell me how it feels.”

 

Leo shot him a glare and glanced to the side, eyeing a nearby waiter. Takumi slid a foot forward under the table to nudge against the blond’s knee, not wanting to lose his attention for long. Leo looked back to him after another moment, though he feigned looking at his laptop while peering at Takumi over his screen. “It feels distracting,” he replied in a dry tone.

 

Takumi leaned forward against the table, sliding a hand across to take one of Leo’s from his keyboard. He slid his hand into Leo’s and pressed two fingers against his wrist, finding his pulse, before pressing one button twice. Leo jerked minutely, pulse jumping, and Takumi barely caught the faint whimper that Leo just barely stopped from escaping. It caught in his throat, Adam’s apple bobbing noticeably, and Takumi gently dragged his fingers against the thin skin of the other’s wrist.

 

“Just distracting?” He hummed, smiling in amusement at Leo’s barely contained frustration. His thesis was properly forgotten now, but they both knew it was more than prepared, so Takumi wasn’t concerned.

 

Leo shifted again in his seat, a soft whine escaping under his breath as the vibrator likely rubbed against more than one sensitive spot. Takumi noticed the waiter pause out of the corner of his eye, a little close for comfort, but still a safe distance away to avoid skepticism. He would think he was hearing things, shrug it off and keep on with his work of clearing the nearby tables.

 

Takumi decided to use the waiter’s nearness to his advantage.

 

“You see that waiter?” He murmured, fixing his eyes on Leo.

 

Leo’s eyes flickered over to the waiter in question, nodding his head slowly. His breathing was noticeably heavier now, and the flush on his cheeks was an attractive shade of red. Takumi gently rubbed the toe of his boot against Leo’s calf, watching his eyes flutter even at that small touch.

 

“He might hear you if you aren’t careful,” Takumi continued, watching Leo’s eyes fix on the waiter’s back. “Hear you whimpering and whining like a whore. Just from a little vibrating plug.”

 

Leo’s teeth dug into his lower lip, making it a bright pink, and Takumi tapped the button three times in quick succession. He watched as Leo’s eyes widened, hand clenching around where Takumi’s still rested in his palm and lower body jerking in an obvious thrusting motion. Takumi tangled their legs together, forcing Leo’s to uncross, and soothingly dragged his thumb across the back of Leo’s hand.

 

“Look at you,” he breathed, Leo’s head bowing slightly as he struggled to keep himself quiet. “We’re in public, Leo.” Takumi clicked his tongue, condescending as he turned Leo’s earlier words back on him. “You just can’t control yourself, can you? Shameless.”

 

Leo looked up to meet his gaze, dazed and pupils blown with arousal. Takumi smirked, squeezing his hand as he murmured again, “Just a shameless little slut.”

 

It was always the  _ ‘slut’ _ that got him.

 

Leo had to press his other hand over his mouth, biting into the fleshy part of his thumb to stifle his noises as he came. Takumi kept a tight hold on his other hand, feeling his trembling and racing pulse while turning the vibrator back off completely to avoid overstimulation. While enjoyable in private, they weren’t quite there yet with a more public setting. He murmured a few soothing words to the other as he came down, panting quietly and flush fading to a more gentle pink.

 

He waited until Leo was mostly cognizant before asking, “Okay?”

 

Leo opened his eyes, still a bit hazy but obviously content as he murmured, “Okay.”

 

Takumi smiled, lifting his hand to kiss the back of it, watching the affection bloom in the other’s gaze. “Good.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's consensual, just fyi  
> leo goes through so much for his boyfriend poor guy, but they both enjoy it  
> the buildup sucks but askjhgd I don't care anymore


	11. Chapter 26.5 - In Between

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Corrin and their group are facing Garon in the final battle, but Leo is left to find out what has happened to his siblings. Alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you've played Birthright, you know exactly what this is about.  
> Spoiler alert: for anyone who is unaware of the events of Birthright and don't wish to know, avoid this drabble
> 
> No Beta

Leo shoved open the doors to the great hall, chest heaving with labored breaths as they swung into the stone walls with a loud  _ boom. _ He nearly gagged at the smell of blood in the air, quickly grabbing his collar to drag the fabric over his nose. There were surprisingly few bodies for the stench that permeated the air, only a few Nohrian and Hoshidan soldiers. The blood was seeping into the thick carpet on the floor, adding an unpleasant mustiness to the already cloying smell. Leo didn’t let his gaze linger on the bodies, scanning the room instead for Xander or Elise.

 

Niles had told him that Corrin and their party had passed through here on their way to Garon, stopped predictably by Xander himself. The worst part of the battle was behind Leo in the hallways, the great hall itself having been used for the smaller fight between Xander and Corrin, smaller being a light word for it. The magic from Xander’s sword, Siegfried, was evident in the scorch marks along the walls and in the carpet, not dissimilar to ash when Leo walked across one such mark and kicked up small, black particles. Corrin’s sword didn’t leave such telltale signs, but their dragon attributes did, claw marks dug into the carpet and leaving etchings in certain places on the visible bits of stone floor. Niles hadn’t been able to tell him the results of the fight, only that Corrin had gotten past and that Elise was there which was enough to get Leo moving.

 

Elise wasn’t supposed to be anywhere near the fighting. She was supposed to be kept somewhere safe, somewhere she couldn’t get involved and possibly hurt or even kidnapped. Leo didn’t know how or why her retainers had let her slip away from them, but it was too late now to dwell on it. Leo just had to find her and get her out of the castle before the full Hoshidan army reached them.

 

Xander he was less concerned about. How Corrin got past him Leo didn’t know, but he felt confident enough in his brother’s abilities to know that he was still alive.

 

At least, that’s what he told himself until he almost tripped over the first body.

 

Leo nearly threw up when he looked down after his foot caught on something, stumbling back when he recognized the blond hair. Xander’s lifeless eyes stared back up at him, face pale with death, making the blood on his skin stand out harshly. Leo had to turn away quickly, unable to look at the body for too long. His heart was racing now, more than it had been, and he forced himself to focus again on finding Elise. He couldn’t think about Xander right now, not about his dead body sitting just a few feet away, cold and stiff, blooding drying on his skin-

 

Leo stumbled again over his own feet as he moved away, trying to keep his breathing even and mind focused. Elise. Find Elise and get out. That was his objective right now. Don’t think about Xander or anyone else; not Corrin, not Camilla, not anyone. The Nohrian army was in shambles and Garon was a lost cause likely about to be murdered, but Elise could be saved. He just needed to find her.

 

There was another body sitting near the wall. It had Xander’s cloak draped over it, arranged in the respectful manner reserved for Nohrian ceremonies of death. Leo stopped a few feet away, hands falling to his sides as he stared at it. His mind couldn’t wrap around the mere thought that it might be Elise, even the vague concept. It couldn’t be her. She was somewhere safe and protected with her retainers, that was all. This was just another body, perhaps one of Xander’s retainers hence the respectful display. Xander might have acted like he didn’t care for them often, but he did very much. His heart was too big, sometimes.

 

Leo approached slowly, cautiously, as if the body might move if he went too fast. He felt light headed as he stood above the covered body -  _ corpse,  _ his mind supplied - noting the blond hair sticking out from the edges of the cloak. He fell to his knees beside it, barely noticing the pain that raced through his joints. His hand was shaking as he reached for the edge of the cloak, breathing shallow as he slowly pulled it away.

 

His heart clenched in his chest, dropping the cloak as if burned while he jerked to the side to throw up properly this time. Leo coughed up the remains of his last meager meal ration, eyes watering from the violence of his retching and also the rush of emotion that flooded his body. He kneeled trembling for a few moments, waiting for the moment to pass, fingers tangling into his hair as his elbows rested on either side of his pool of vomit. He tugged harshly on the strands to center himself, struggling to remain calm despite what -  _ who  _ \- lay mere inches from him. Hyperventilation threatened to overcome him when he tried looking at the body again, eyes welling up even more as tears began running down his cheeks.

 

Elise’s eyes were closed, likely done by Xander if his cloak was any sign. Her arms were folded over her chest, fingers curled loosely into fists over her heart and tied delicately with one of her hair ribbons. She looked peaceful for the most part, soft and gentle even in death, a thought that nearly made Leo sob aloud.

 

He managed to straighten himself out again, hands shaking violently as he tentatively reached out to cup her face, thumbs brushing over her pale cheeks. Leo leaned down to rest their foreheads together, biting his lip hard. Xander and Elise. Both of them gone. He didn’t know how and he wasn’t sure if he wanted to find out; he just knew they were gone.

 

Lifting his head, he looked down at Elise again, a few of his tears falling onto her skin. “You weren’t supposed to be here,” he muttered. “Why were you here? Elise, you idiot…”

 

Leo inhaled shakily and leaned down to press a trembling kiss to her forehead. He didn’t know what had happened, but there were very few possibilities. Xander had obviously been alive when Elise died, so that meant Corrin hadn’t gotten past him yet. That meant Corrin had to have been there when Elise...when she died. Corrin was involved in some way, most certainly with Xander’s death if not also with Elise’s, a fact that Leo latched onto with fierce determination.

 

He slowly drew away from Elise, tears beginning to dry as he looked down at her again. Corrin was the reason she was dead. He didn’t care if there was no solid reason behind it; Elise was gone, Xander too, and Corrin was still alive. It wasn’t fair.

 

Leo pulled the cloak back over Elise’s body, feeling calmer as he began forming a plan in his mind. He carefully gathered Elise into his arms before rising to his feet, turning to look back at where Xander’s body still lay. His siblings deserved better than being left as corpses to rot. Neither of them deserved death, and yet that was their fate, done by Corrin’s hand. Corrin and Hoshidan scum.

 

Leo narrowed his eyes in concentration as he focused on the stone underneath Xander’s body, the foundation cracking as he forced a thin slab apart from the rest. It slowly rose from the floor, supporting Xander’s body, and Leo had it follow him as he walked from the room, Elise’s body cradled in his arms. First, they would both receive the funeral they deserved. Corrin and their lackeys would be given the false pretense of surrender, the false hope of peace. But Leo would wait patiently. He knew how to wait, he knew how to remain calm and keep up a facade. And when his chance came, Corrin and all of Hoshido would think twice before going against Nohr again.

 

Leo would get the revenge Elise and Xander deserved. And it would be glorious.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know Birthright ends happy and shit, but really. Leo would 100% hold a grudge and there's no way Elise and Xander's death didn't affect him in some way, especially if he was the one to find their bodies. This is my own interpretation, obviously, but I would love to hear other theories!
> 
> I know this work is mostly leokumi drabbles, but I couldn't help myself with this one
> 
> Tumblr is neptune-bound if you wanna find me elsewhere (send me writing prompts asfsdkh)


	12. Happy New Year

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Domesticated and content, sometimes the new year isn't such a big deal.

Leo sighed as he pushed open the door to the apartment, letting it fall shut behind him as he kneeled down to unlace his shoes. He toed them off once they were loosened, turning the deadbolt into place and hanging his keys in their usual spot before venturing further inside. Yumi and Charlize were curled up in a patch of sunlight near the balcony doors, sleeping the day away as they often did. Leo tried not to disturb the two cats with too much noise as he set his bag down on the kitchen counter, yawning as he shrugged out of his winter coat. Hanging it over the nearest chair, he tilted his head to listen for any signs of his partner being home, hearing nothing but the rumble of the refrigerator. Takumi usually made himself known immediately if Leo arrived later than he did anyways. His tendency to leave the television on at all times was usually the first giveaway, but since it was quiet Leo knew he was the first one home.

 

He combed his fingers through his hair as he sighed, neatly picking off his headband and setting it atop his bag. That meant dinner was on him tonight, though cooking something proper sounded like an awful chore. Leo decided on delivery of some kind as he moved to the bedroom, socked feet quiet on the wooden floors. He dug through their shared dresser for some pajama pants (his own) and then a sweater (Takumi’s) before moving into the bathroom to shower. When he emerged again feeling clean, contacts removed with glasses replacing them and with the plan of ordering pizza, he shuffled back out to the connected kitchen and living space to dig his phone out of his bag.

 

A text from Takumi greeted him, informing Leo that he would be later than usual because, “ _ the new idiot trainee tipped an entire dessert cart over so of course we all have to stay and help fuckin kill me now. _ ” Leo dutifully sent back his regrets and promised to save some pizza for him, earning a heart emoji and a smiley face in response.

 

“Looks like it’s just us tonight,” he hummed, glancing over to where the cats had moved with the fading sunlight, trying to absorb the last remaining rays. He didn’t expect any response, surprised when Yumi even bothered to glance over at him, and looked back at his phone to dial their usual pizza delivery chain.

 

Leo would be the first to admit that his cooking skills were significantly lackluster, most especially when compared to Takumi’s. It was only because Takumi often worked late that they ended up eating more delivery and fast food than was probably necessary with a skilled culinary chef in their home. Leo never quite trusted himself in the kitchen without the other man around anymore, not unless it was boxed or pre-made. He had never really gotten over the incident at their last apartment, a certain gas stove related incident. Takumi sometimes still teased him about it, but only to rile him up. Their electric stovetop was much nicer now, anyways.

 

When Takumi  _ was  _ home to cook, however, it made Leo appreciate his skills all the more because of how little he witnessed them. It was a special treat to watch his boyfriend move around in the kitchen, multitasking like he was born to do it, always making something different and unique each time. He only ever repeated meals when either of them wanted something specific. Leo was stumped each time the man managed to recreate a meal exactly, knowing he was just following a basic recipe but still enamored by it. Considering his own lacking skills in cooking, Leo supposed it wasn’t a big surprise. He couldn’t wait for the day when they could both come home at the same time and enjoy meals together every night. It was a sappy, romantic idealization, but he liked it nonetheless.

 

Leo fed the cats their evening meal and busied himself with doing the dishes from that morning while he waited for the delivery person. He switched on the television to Netflix and started up  _ The Great British Bake Off  _ for background noise, picking an older season so he wouldn’t lose his and Takumi’s place in the recent one.

 

Takumi’s mild obsession with cooking and baking shows had amused Leo at the beginning of their relationship, but now he was just as obsessed. Takumi always entertained him with commentary, criticizing what certain people did and explaining what he would do differently. He mocked the judges sometimes, but other times agreed with them and even went further in depth on the criticisms they gave to contestants. A lot of what he said went over Leo’s head, technical terms and phrases lost on him, but Takumi helped him understand when he got lost. It might have been a TV show, but Takumi’s passion always came through whenever he watched them. It reminded Leo why he loved the man, among various other reasons.

 

The delivery person arrived not long after Leo finished the dishes and had poured himself a glass of wine. He accepted the large box once it arrived at his door and assured the driver they could keep the change after passing them a twenty, more eager to eat than anything else. The cats perked up at the smell despite having food left in their bowls and Leo nudged them away from his ankles as he placed the box on the coffee table, retrieving his wine, phone, and a few napkins from the kitchen. He seated himself on the couch and shooed Yumi off of the pizza box, the feline having perched herself there for the warmth, before flipping it open to start on his dinner.

 

The cats lost interest after a few minutes once it became clear Leo wasn’t sharing, going to finish their own food before disappearing completely. Leo wasn’t concerned, content to sit by himself and switch between watching the TV and scrolling through social media on his phone between bites of pizza.

 

It wasn’t until he had gone through two more episodes of  _ The British Bake Off  _ and had eaten three and a half slices of pizza that he heard the familiar click of the deadbolt. Leo swirled the remainder of his wine around in his glass as he looked over the back of the couch, watching his boyfriend enter the apartment with a proper look of disgruntlement on his face.

 

“Hello there,” he greeted, watching Takumi toe off his shoes and lock the door again. “How was work?”

 

Takumi grunted in response, leaving his work bag on the floor by his shoes and throwing his coat haphazardly over Leo’s. Leo smiled a little as he watched the other shuffle towards him, undoing bits of his uniform as he went. First his tie was loosened, shirt collar unbuttoned, then his vest undone and discarded over the back of a different chair. He cursed when he almost tripped over Charlize, the cats having reappeared when the door opened, and Leo had to stifle his laugh with one hand. Takumi moved around the feline and finally reached the couch, Leo already opening his arms for the other man in preparation. He chuckled as Takumi practically fell into him, arms wrapping immediately around his waist and face burrowing into his neck.

 

“Long day?” Leo asked, using the hand not still holding his glass to pet the back of Takumi’s head.

 

Takumi grunted again, careful not to jostle Leo as he slumped against him. “I hate training new people.”

 

Leo hummed noncommittally, draining the rest of his wine before setting the glass aside. “Yes, but we both know you need the extra staff.”

 

Takumi grumbled against his neck but didn’t disagree, tugging Leo with him to lay down now that both of his hands were empty. Leo willingly sprawled out on the couch with him, Takumi’s weight settling atop him and successfully trapping him against the cushions. He gently undid his boyfriend’s ponytail, sliding the hair tie around his wrist, and began combing his fingers through it to undo the tangles he found.

 

Takumi made a pleased noise and relaxed against Leo even more, fingers starting to gently trace the length of Leo’s spine under his shirt and making him shiver lightly. They were silent for a few beats, only Netflix continuing to play in the silence. Leo could tell Takumi was getting ready to fall asleep, his breathing starting to slow and deepen, and he lightly tugged at a strand of hair to rouse the other.

 

“Hey,” Leo murmured, earning an annoyed whine. “No falling asleep on the couch again.”

 

“But you’re a good pillow,” Takumi insisted, nuzzling against him.

 

“Maybe so, but these cushions aren’t and they always make my back hurt. Especially with you on top of me.”

 

“You like me on top of you.”

 

“Shut up, that’s beside the point.”

 

Takumi snickered quietly while Leo rolled his eyes, amused despite himself. “You should shower, anyways. You smell like chocolate and butterscotch.”

 

“Ugh, don’t remind me. I had to salvage what was left and make whatever I could with Hinata’s help. It wasn’t my best work.”

 

Leo imagined a weird, oddly shaped cake and decided it probably wasn’t even remotely accurate. Takumi could make even the biggest disaster look like a masterpiece no matter what self-doubt he still held about his abilities.

 

“I’ll bet it was fantastic,” Leo assured, gently scratching his nails up Takumi’s back and making him arch appreciatively. “And as much as I love butterscotch, I don’t want to have it in my nose all night.”

 

“I could have something else-”

 

“No sexual innuendos, especially not about noses,” he shushed. “Go shower.”

 

Takumi huffed against his neck but didn’t protest, reluctantly prying himself away from Leo. “If I fall asleep standing up, I blame you.”

 

“I’ll take full responsibility,” Leo promised, watching Takumi rise to his feet and stretch. His biceps swelled attractively in his shirt sleeves, making lust stir briefly in Leo’s gut before Takumi was shuffling away. He heard the man curse at one of the cats again and rolled his eyes at the ceiling, smile on his face as he listened to the other move around in his exhausted state. The shower turned on a few minutes later, letting Leo know that his boyfriend hadn’t fallen asleep somewhere along the way.

 

While Takumi showered, Leo heated up the remaining slices of pizza in the microwave for him and poured himself another glass of wine. Takumi didn’t often drink, but Leo poured him a glass anyways just in case, making the amount smaller than his own. Leo was seated back on the couch when Takumi emerged from the bathroom, dressed now in sweatpants (Leo’s) and a t-shirt (his own).

 

Neither of them said a word as Leo held out his hand for the hairbrush Takumi had brought with him, letting the other man sit down on the floor in front of him and get comfortable. While Takumi started to eat, Leo set about brushing his still damp hair, working out the tangles and knots as he had done earlier with his fingers. They fell into a content silence, their routine familiar and easy by this point. Takumi finished off most of the remaining pizza and the crusts Leo hadn’t eaten himself earlier, drinking only a few sips of his wine before carefully pouring the rest into Leo’s glass. Leo finished brushing Takumi’s hair and braided it back, using the hair tie he still had around his wrist to finish it off. Once he finished, Takumi passed Leo his glass and crawled up onto the couch to join him, pulling Leo between his legs to wrap his arms around his waist. Leo leaned back against his chest while Takumi settled his chin on Leo’s shoulder, humming contentedly as they both settled against each other.

 

“I still can’t believe you like pineapple on pizza.” Leo commented.

 

“Shut up, you had anchovies on your half.”

 

“Touché.”

 

“How was work?” Takumi asked, already nosing aside the collar of Leo’s sweater.

 

Leo tilted his head automatically, allowing Takumi to nuzzle at the bared skin of his shoulder. “Okay, I suppose. I thought Niles was actually going to kill someone.”

 

Takumi hummed to show his interest, mouth busy brushing against the birthmark on Leo’s shoulder.

 

“Oboro changed the designs again, so Niles had to alter his entire choreography and stage design. He was looking very frazzled when I saw him last, trying to find the right color scheme for the lights.”

 

“Was he muttering to himself yet?” Takumi chuckled, nosing the back of Leo’s neck and making Leo twitch at the ticklish feeling.

 

“He was,” Leo nodded, taking a sip of his wine. “Odin was starting to look concerned himself. I wonder if Niles has bit his head off yet, poor man.”

 

“Odin can handle him,” Takumi assured. “They’ve known each other long enough, after all.”

 

Leo nodded, shifting as Takumi nipped at his ear. “I know, I just hope Oboro doesn’t do this again. She’s brilliant, but I fear for Niles’ sanity.”

 

“It’ll be okay,” Takumi hummed, nuzzling the sensitive spot behind Leo’s ear and making him squirm. “You’ve had five successful shows with them so far. I told you Oboro would be a good hire.”

 

Leo made a noise of acknowledgement, distracted briefly by the hand Takumi tried sneaking up his shirt. He caught it before it could stray too far, lacing their fingers together. “Try telling Darios that; he refuses to acknowledge any modicum of success.”

 

Takumi grunted at the mention of Leo’s boss. “Darios is a pretentious asshole.”

 

“Agreed, but we both have to work with pretentious assholes like him, so better to be on their good side.”

 

Takumi grumbled in complaint but didn’t argue, knowing full well it was true. Both of their chosen careers were chock full of people who thought themselves better than everyone else, making for an occasionally frustrating day of work - or week, sometimes month. Leo still questioned why he had chosen fashion design, of all things, but then he experienced the thrill of seeing his own designs come to life on stage with real models and he forgot why he ever questioned himself. He imagined Takumi experienced something similar, though neither of them had ever shared specifics such as that. It wasn’t necessary when they both simply understood having a passion that drove them to succeed. It was enough knowing that they understood each other, something else that often reminded Leo of his love for the ridiculous man currently curled around him.

 

Their conversation trailed off and they both only gave the TV half of their attention. Takumi was more interested in mouthing at Leo’s neck and Leo was more interested in making sure he didn’t stop. They were both still tired, but rarely did they have enough time to themselves to simply enjoy each other’s company, hence making the most of what time they did have. Takumi’s other hand snuck beneath Leo’s sweater just like the first one, this time not stopped as it settled on his ribcage. Leo managed to set down his wine glass without dripping any when Takumi nipped at his jugular, making him jolt lightly.

 

“I’m not doing this on the couch,” Leo muttered even as he arched into Takumi’s touch.

 

Takumi hummed in agreement, smiling against his neck. “Okay.”

 

“Wait, don’t-”

 

Leo’s protest turned into a surprised yelp when Takumi shifted him in his arms, rising from the couch with Leo now cradled against his chest in a bridal carry.

 

“The TV is still on,” Leo huffed, lightly smacking Takumi’s chest as the other started walking to their bedroom.

 

“Oops.” Takumi shrugged one shoulder, a crooked smile on his face.

 

Leo opened his mouth to retort only to have Takumi pretend to drop him, the sudden lurch towards the floor making him immediately cling to his boyfriend in panic rather than think up a snarky response. Takumi only snickered when Leo smacked him again, pushing their bedroom door open with his shoulder. He did drop Leo onto the bed, watching his small resulting bounce on the mattress before moving on top of him. Leo scowled up at Takumi as the other man settled above him, smiling down innocently and with absolutely no remorse for his actions.

 

Leo softened when Takumi leaned down to kiss him gently, brushing their noses together teasingly as he withdrew.

 

“I love you,” he murmured, tone fond.

 

“I love you, too,” Leo hummed, lifting a hand to caress Takumi’s cheek.

 

Takumi grabbed his hand and pressed a kiss to Leo’s palm before lacing their fingers together, gently pressing Leo’s hand back down into the mattress. Leo arched up to meet him as Takumi leaned down to kiss him again, humming low in his throat.

 

They kissed for a time, pressed against each other and sharing a few gentle touches. Leo gasped as Takumi rolled his hips, brushing their growing erections against each other. The wine made him flush more than usual, though Takumi would argue his paleness made him blush red as a cherry all the time. Leo let out a sigh as Takumi kissed down his neck, tongue dragging across his clavicle. Takumi’s free hand moved under Leo’s sweater, stroking his sensitive sides and making Leo giggle breathlessly as he squirmed away from the touch.

 

“Stop, stop,” he pleaded. “You know I’m ticklish.”

 

“Yeah, and it’s cute,” Takumi replied easily, though his hand slid further up Leo’s chest instead of lingering as requested.

 

Leo blushed at the compliment and huffed when Takumi smiled up at him from where he had moved down to Leo’s stomach, amusement glittering in his eyes. “Suck up.”

 

“Only to you, babe.”

 

Takumi used both of his hands to push up Leo’s sweater, exposing the majority of his chest while he bit lightly at Leo’s hip. His fingers teasingly tweaked his nipples, making Leo arch, before sliding down to the waistband of his pants. Leo exhaled shakily as Takumi pulled down his pajama pants, letting his erection bob free. The tip was already wet and left a damp spot on his stomach where it now rested. Takumi teasingly brushed his lips against it, making Leo whine softly, before he sat back on his heels to finish removing Leo’s pants.

 

“I don’t know about you, but I think I might pass out if I try fucking you.” Takumi tossed the pants over the side of the bed, Leo sitting up to help him remove his shirt next.

 

“That’s okay,” Leo assured, pausing to drag his hands along his boyfriend’s chest. “I want you in my mouth, anyways.”

 

“Can I eat you out then?”

 

Leo raised a brow but nodded, guiding Takumi back down onto the bed with him on top this time. “Okay, but don’t strain your neck this time. You bitched about it for a week.”

 

Takumi frowned as Leo pressed a kiss to his jaw before turning around, positioning himself accordingly. “I did not.”

 

“You did,” Leo hummed, pushing down Takumi’s sweats enough to free his cock. “You don’t remember the neck massage I gave you that turned into me fucking you over the couch?”

 

“Oh, yeah.” Takumi’s hands ran appreciatively along Leo’s exposed thighs, moving up to squeeze his ass. “I thought you just wanted sex.”

 

“I did, but it was also to shut you up.”

 

“Rude.”

 

Leo didn’t bother to respond, flicking his tongue out to drag across the tip of Takumi’s cock while the other spread his cheeks. He moaned when Takumi firmly grasped his thighs, pulling him a little closer and pressing a kiss to one cheek. Leo responded in kind by kissing Takumi’s cock, dragging his lips along the length of it and pausing at the head, mouth barely brushing against it. Takumi took the hint for what it was, leaning in to drag his tongue directly across Leo’s hole. Leo shuddered in response and parted his lips to take the tip into his mouth, moaning as Takumi just barely pressed his tongue inside him.

 

While Leo had never been able to return the favor to Takumi, he still greatly appreciated the fact that his boyfriend was magnificent at eating him out and was willing to do so at almost any time. Takumi didn’t hold the same reservations as Leo over the act, but he had never shamed Leo for those reservations either. It had taken some time for Leo to even be willing to try it, but Takumi had proven to be the perfect person for his first time experiencing it. Ever since, Leo didn’t protest when Takumi offered or asked, only drawing the line at performing it himself. It was hypocritical of him to some extent, but Takumi never asked more of him than he was willing to give, something Leo was forever grateful for and a favor he returned gladly.

 

They still had years ahead of them, at least Leo hoped, so maybe he would work himself up to it eventually. For now, they were both content with what they had.

 

Leo moaned as he slid further down Takumi’s dick, relaxing his throat to take in more of him. Takumi’s hands squeezed appreciatively at where they held him in place by his thighs, tongue circling teasingly around his rim and coaxing him to relax. Leo forced himself to ease some of the tension from his muscles and felt more than heard when Takumi hummed approvingly, tongue already slipping deeper. His resulting moan was choked off somewhat by the cock in his mouth, making his boyfriend’s hips twitch at the vibrations.

 

Takumi came first, Leo deepthroating him and dragging his nails along his thighs spurring on his release. Leo drew back a little to swallow and only withdrew completely once Takumi was done, leaving a final kiss on the head. Takumi moaned appreciatively and Leo left soothing kisses along his stomach as the other man recovered. He moved only when Takumi moved a hand to his hip, the other remaining on his thigh to guide him into sitting up and have him kneeling over Takumi’s face.

 

Leo balanced himself with his hands on Takumi’s chest and groaned when the other took his erection in one hand, tongue delving back inside him at the same time. Takumi’s tongue thrusted into him in quick thrusts while his hand moved at the same speed on Leo’s cock, bringing him to a quick and satisfying end hardly a minute later.

 

Takumi helped guide him down onto the bed as he came down from his high, grabbing a few tissues from the box they kept on the nightstand to clean them up. Leo hummed his thanks as Takumi tossed the used tissues into the waste bin by the bed, grabbing his arm once it came back and dragging it to wrap around him instead. Takumi chuckled quietly and pulled him close, nuzzling the top of his head as they both settled.

 

“Hey,” he murmured. “Happy new year, Leo.”

 

Leo slid an arm around him in return, pressing a kiss to his chin. “Happy new year, Tak.”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the life of me I couldn't finish this in a way I liked, but it's been sitting in my google docs since the beginning of December and I wanted to post something, so oh well
> 
> A new year's fic that isn't really about the new year's and is also late  
> Tumblr: neptune-bound  
> Suggestions always welcome!


	13. Fuck Me Like I'm Bad

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leo doesn't know when to keep his mouth shut.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not beta'd

In hindsight, it was probably a bad idea. Leo knew this looking back now, thinking through what had been said and what hadn’t been, noting the little warning signs he probably should have acknowledged right away. But he would admit he wasn’t the best at reading body language nor was he the best at knowing when to quit. Quitting while he was ahead wasn’t something he was familiar with, so really he should have been less surprised at the results.

 

And it all started because he had to open his mouth.

 

They had been getting along fairly well, conversing as they went through a few materials in the library. Leo had picked out a few scrolls about the history of Hoshido’s culture and Takumi had picked up where he had left off in a book about Nohrian weapons that Leo had brought him. There had been a small lull in their conversation, both of them absorbed in their own material, when Leo read over a line on the scroll in front of him. Curiosity piqued, he had immediately looked to Takumi for further answers.

 

“Tell me something,” Leo had started, Takumi’s hum of acknowledgement encouraging him to continue. “Is Hoshidan culture really so perverse?”

 

Takumi had paused in his reading, slowly lifting his gaze from the book to meet Leo’s eyes. “Excuse me?”

 

Leo had glanced back down to the scroll in front of him, unconcerned with Takumi’s response. “Well, it says here that it’s common practice to inform close family members of when you first have sex. It’s some sort of important coming of age thing?”

 

“Well, it’s not exactly common practice anymore-” Takumi had started, shifting in his chair.

 

Leo had ignored him, continuing to read through the passage he had found interest in. “And it says here that there has been a growing business surrounding sex over the years. So, things like whorehouses are common?”

 

Takumi had visibly been uncomfortable, tension practically radiating from his body and yet Leo had ignored the signs of his unease. “Okay, they aren’t... _ whorehouses _ , and it’s about more than just-”

 

“That’s just so interesting,” Leo had plowed on. “That a culture can be so focused on sex. To be quite frank, it is rather disgusting. Nohrian culture values privacy so much more and this is just obscene to even think about. I don’t know how your country has functioned with ideals like this.”

 

Something in Takumi’s expression had hardened and it was then that Leo noticed his stony silence, looking up to watch the other prince snap his book shut with no small amount of force. As he had risen stiffly from his seat, Leo had raised an eyebrow at him and asked, “What? You must know it’s ridiculous to be this sexually obsessed.”

 

Takumi’s response had startled him with its sheer severity, practically like a slap to the face. “It’s not about the sex,” he had growled. “It’s about more than that you ignorant idiot. But I wouldn’t expect a close-minded, snotty prince to understand anything about a culture he views as  _ sexually obsessed. _ ”

 

Leo had watched him storm off a bit bewildered and feeling like he might have missed something. It wasn’t until later when he was searching out Takumi that he realized he had probably been insensitive. He shouldn’t have talked over the Hoshidan prince and kept making rude assumptions based on old texts. Instead, he should have let Takumi explain more and help him understand what exactly that aspect of his culture was about. Rather than do that, however, Leo had insulted the other prince and was now forced to go looking for him in order to apologize.

 

Guilt wasn’t something Leo was particularly familiar with, and it wasn’t a feeling he found himself liking. He didn’t like knowing Takumi was upset with him, especially not when it was his fault. It was a wonder Takumi hadn’t thrown the book in his hands at Leo, but he supposed Takumi had more self-restraint than that these days.

 

Admittedly, ever since they had moved past their petty hatred towards each other over a year ago, things had improved significantly between them. Takumi was less rash in his decision making, Leo wasn’t as irritable or waspish, Takumi had better control over his emotions, and Leo was more receptive to hearing different opinions and ideas from his own - most of the time. Many things were still a work in progress, but overall they had both seen improvements in each other. They both often joked that it was because they fucked out all of their frustration and anger with each other now, but they both knew there was more to the relationship.

 

The sex _ was _ good, though.

 

Leo tried not to think about how their relationship might suffer from his own stupid blunder as he searched Castle Shirasagi for Takumi, checking both of their rooms, the armory, training grounds, stables, and even the library again despite having watched Takumi walk out. He finally found the other prince after an hour of searching, finding him in one of the indoor training rooms.

 

Takumi was in the midst of one of his odd exercises when Leo entered the room, dressed down to only his trousers. Takumi had explained his daily training to Leo in the past, but most of it contained terms Leo wasn’t familiar with, not translatable to the common tongue. All he really understood was that it was extensive and sometimes arousing to watch. Seeing the other prince shirtless and sweaty while showing off the control and strength of his body was...appealing, to say the least.

 

Leo tried not to focus on that now as he approached Takumi, making sure his steps were loud on the wooden floor to announce his presence. Takumi ignored him initially, back turned to Leo, so he took it upon himself to open a dialogue.

 

“I wanted to apologize for earlier,” Leo began, folding his hands behind his back. “I know what I said was insensitive and rude. I should have been more aware of what I was saying and I apologize for that.”

 

Takumi grunted, at least some sort of acknowledgement, and Leo took that as a sign to continue.

 

“It’s just that Nohr is much different from Hoshido when it comes to things of that nature. Nohrian culture is much more private, as I said, so it’s shocking to me to read about these sorts of things that are so casual in your own culture.” Leo smiled a little to himself, huffing a bit in amusement. “I remember when I first heard that public bathing was a common practice here. I couldn’t believe it until I had seen it for myself which, of course, I didn’t for many years. But still, it was a shock.”

 

Again, Takumi didn’t verbally respond, in the midst of stretching out his arms. Leo paused, watching him roll his shoulders back, before proceeding again.

 

“I, ah, still think it’s odd, but I wouldn’t be opposed to learning more about this...aspect of Hoshidan culture. Then again, I’m sure we have explored it plenty together when we-”

 

“So,” Takumi cut in, tone harsh. “You come here to apologize and then proceed to continue insulting my people by joking?”

 

Leo blinked, surprised. “Well, I didn’t mean-”

 

“What? You didn’t mean any disrespect?” Takumi turned to him, finally, eyes narrowed in a glare. “Fuck you.”

 

Leo was speechless for a minute, unsure how to respond. Takumi’s blunt anger wasn’t something he had faced headon in awhile, making him uncertain how to proceed with calming him down. He tried spreading out his hands in front of him, a placating gesture.

 

“Takumi, I know you’re upset, but-”

 

“No, you listen to me,” Takumi hissed, hands curling into fists at his sides. “I need you to turn that smart ass of yours around and walk out of here. Otherwise, you’ll get exactly what you’re asking for.”

 

Leo wasn’t quite sure what he was asking for, but he knew Takumi would never hurt him on purpose. No matter how upset they got with each other, they didn’t cross that line. Thus, he was confident Takumi was merely trying to scare him into leaving and didn’t take his words seriously.

 

“Takumi, please, this is honestly ridiculous. I think that you-”

 

Leo barely had the time to react. He knew Takumi was fast, had seen it plenty of times in the past, but nonetheless he was always surprised. Takumi grabbed one of his wrists and yanked him forward, spinning him around to lock it against his back. A quick blow to the back of his knee and Leo found himself on the floor, both wrists quickly secured behind his back and the heavy weight of Takumi settling over him in an instant. Leo immediately tried resisting, squirming underneath Takumi, only to have the other prince squeeze his wrists harshly and make him gasp in surprise.

 

“Takumi, what-”

 

“I think-” Takumi growled from above him, the low rumble of his voice sending chills down Leo’s spine. “I think you just want to be held down and  _ fucked  _ like the slut you are.”

 

Leo felt his cheeks burn at the accusation, making him squirm again in Takumi’s grip only to gasp once more when it was succinctly tightened. He tried turning his head to look over his shoulder and froze when he felt Takumi’s breath against the back of his neck, the other prince’s lips just barely touching skin. Leo swallowed thickly, barely daring to breathe even as his growing erection pressed uncomfortably against the floor beneath him.

 

“Takumi, maybe we should-”

 

“Shut  _ up _ , Leo.”

 

Leo shut up, both aroused and confused by Takumi’s behavior. The Hoshidan was obviously still upset with him, but he wasn’t sure if sex was the answer to solving that. He didn’t want to upset Takumi further though, and he wasn’t exactly opposed to the rough treatment, so he kept his mouth shut as ordered.

 

“What? No witty response?” Takumi muttered, lips close to Leo’s ear. “I’m disappointed, Prince Leo. You’re usually such a fighter. You are known for your silver tongue, after all.”

 

Leo barely had the chance to blink before Takumi’s hand forcibly pushed up his chin, making him stare wide-eyed at the far wall as a thumb brushed against his lower lip. He gasped again when Takumi ground his hips against his ass, eyes fluttering at the press of his cock. His eyes were quick to snap open again when Takumi pressed two fingers into his mouth, making him gag in surprise.

 

“Let’s see how talented that tongue really is,” Takumi muttered mockingly into his ear, making Leo shudder.

 

He adjusted quickly to the intrusion, opening his mouth a little wider to accommodate the probing fingers. His tongue slid forward to curl around Takumi’s fingers, sliding between them when they were parted slightly. He let Takumi press his tongue down, teeth scraping lightly against the knuckles, and whined quietly when they were pulled back. Both were coated in a thin layer of his saliva and dripping, shining under the sunlight that spilled into the room. Leo arched his neck as Takumi dragged the fingers down over his chin and Adam’s apple, leaving a damp trail behind.

 

“Takumi-” He moaned, twitching in the Hoshidan’s hold. “Please.”

 

“Please what?” Takumi asked, hand settling over Leo’s throat.

 

“Don’t be a brat!” Leo hissed, patience growing thin the longer his cock went neglected.

 

He felt like he might have gotten whiplash with how quickly Takumi moved his hand from his throat to his hair, twisting his fingers into the strands and forcing Leo’s head back at a near painful angle. Leo almost wheezed, throat tightening and making it difficult to breathe.

 

“What was that?” Takumi snarled. “A  _ brat? _ Did I hear that right?”

 

Leo could barely draw in enough air to answer, let alone nod his head. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to, secretly thrilled to be disobeying even such a small question. Takumi seemed to know this, scoffing quietly in his ear.

 

“You  _ want  _ this,” Takumi murmured. “Just like I thought. And you call me a brat, hm?”

 

Leo nearly knocked his forehead against the floor when Takumi released his hair and wrists, blinking in surprise when the heavy weight of the other prince suddenly left him. He didn’t have lon to wonder what was happening when those hands grabbed his hips, forcing them up. Leo obediently slid his knees under himself to keep them raised, lifting himself onto his elbows. He started to turn his head, wanting to see Takumi, but immediately stopped at the sharp slap that was delivered to his ass.

 

“Keep your head down,” Takumi ordered, fingers setting to work on pulling down Leo’s trousers and undergarments.

 

Leo settled with pressing his forehead against the floor, nearly moaning with relief when his erection bobbed free of his clothes. He choked on a groan when Takumi wrapped one hand around him, giving him one slow stroke.

 

“Look at you, already dripping wet,” Takumi purred, pressing a finger against the tip. “I’ve barely even touched you,  _ slut. _ ”

 

Leo whimpered when Takumi squeezed him before removing his hand completely, making his cock throb almost painfully. With his ass exposed, Leo struggled not to squirm when Takumi grasped both cheeks and spread them, exposing him further.

 

Takumi’s low whistle was both embarrassing and encouraging, shame and pride making an odd mixture in Leo’s gut as he felt Takumi press a finger against the base of the plug inside him.

 

“You actually got one,” he heard Takumi mutter, and he had to bit his lip to keep from moaning when the other gently flicked the protruding end.

 

Leo had meant to surprise Takumi with it that night, to maybe restrain him and force him to watch as Leo teased himself with the new toy. They had discussed it only briefly, a random topic that came up only once before they were both distracted again, but Leo had remembered. It fit snugly inside him, not too large but not too small, and Leo had only been a little ashamed to have Niles buy it for him. His retainer had been more than willing, pestering him with questions on color, shape, and size, asking if Takumi was sizeable or if it would be  _ for _ the Hoshidan instead. Leo had sputtered out that he could get whatever was best for beginners and sent him off, too embarrassed to have a discussion about his sex life.

 

Niles had come through though, as he always did, and Leo would be sure to compensate him for it. He just hadn’t expected to have it come into play like this.

 

Takumi was slowly twisting the end of it around, gently tugging at it to test the resistance. Leo ground his forehead against the floor and bit the knuckle of his thumb, trying not to be too loud. Being in such a large room made things echo, and he didn’t appreciate hearing his own whimpers echo back in his ears. He also didn’t want to attract any unwanted attention even if the training rooms were rarely used during the summer months.

 

Takumi didn’t seem to share his same concerns, much more interested in sliding the plug halfway out of him only to carefully slide it back in. Leo whined softly as it nudged against his prostate, making him twitch and shudder.

 

“Has this been in you all day?” Takumi asked softly, drawing the plug further out this time. “Were you sitting on this in the library? When you were so keen to insult  _ my  _ culture about sex?”

 

Leo managed to nod his head, not trusting himself to verbally respond as Takumi teased the rim of his hole with the rounded tip of the toy.

 

Takumi made a soft noise behind him, leaning down over his back to speak directly in his ear. “Yeah? Do you think you could take my cock like this, already spread open and wet?”

 

Leo rocked his hips back when Takumi nudged against his hole with two fingers, the toy discarded. They slid in easily, making him choke on the spit building his mouth.

 

“I asked you a question,” Takumi growled softly, thrusting both fingers against Leo’s prostate and making him moan aloud. “Could you like this? Or should I just use the toy to make you scream?”

 

Leo struggled to speak as Takumi continued stroking his prostate, unforgiving and not letting him gather his thoughts. His fingers scrambled uselessly against the slick wooden floor, knees sliding a bit farther apart as he barely managed to gasp, “Please.”

 

Takumi tsked softly, slipping a third finger inside Leo. “Please what? I can’t understand what you want if you don’t use full sentences, Prince Leo.”

 

Leo whined again and tried ducking his head down only to have Takumi’s other hand force up his chin just like earlier, applying a dangerous but thrilling pressure against his throat.

 

“Tell me what you want, Leo,” he insisted, three fingers thrusting at a consistent, unforgiving pace. “What do you need?”

 

“Fuck me,” Leo gasped, words raspy. “ _ Gods,  _ fuck me,  _ please,  _ I’m ready, I’m ready!”

 

Leo continued wheezing out his approval between profanity as Takumi withdrew his fingers, remaining bent over Leo’s back with one hand at his throat. His other hand helped guide his cock into place, making Leo moan when it slowly pressed into him. As Takumi sheathed himself inside Leo, he slid his free hand across Leo’s hip and along his spine, applying a light pressure to make him arch more. Leo’s fingers curled against his palms as he panted, eyes half-lidded and unfocused. Takumi pressed himself against Leo’s back, hand sliding around to Leo’s chest to tweak one of his nipples and make him whine.

 

Takumi withdrew slowly, letting Leo feel every inch of him, making him tremble with desire and moan softly. The quick snap of his hips forward again made Leo jolt and cry out, not given any chance to recover before Takumi set a brutal pace.

 

The sound of skin on skin and their noises of pleasure echoed in the large room, falling back on their own ears. Leo tried to quiet himself, but it was difficult when Takumi kept a hand at his throat and his dick hit his prostate with each thrust. Takumi moved his hand up to press two fingers into Leo’s mouth again, stifling his moans at least somewhat. Leo laved his tongue over the digits unashamedly, sucking and making them just as wet as his own neglected cock between his legs. A bit of drool escaped the side of his mouth and Takumi’s thumb swiped up to catch it.

 

Leo gasped at a particularly hard thrust and spread out of his hands on the floor to give himself leverage to push back, the slick floorboards making it difficult to keep his still clothed knees in place. Takumi’s other hand moved down to settle over one of Leo’s, their fingers lacing together, and Leo felt his chest warm with affection even as he chased his own fast approaching orgasm.

 

He came first and violently. Takumi withdrew his fingers from Leo’s mouth to slide a hand around to his cock and Leo came at the first stroke, over sensitive and nearly sobbing through it. He rested his forehead against the floor and struggled to breathe while Takumi finished only seconds after him, biting the back of Leo’s neck as he thrusted one last time. Leo moaned weakly as Takumi ground his hips against him, tongue lapping against the stinging mark now on his neck. Leo turned his head to rest his cheek against the floor instead, pulling Takumi’s hand to his lips to gently kiss his scarred knuckles.

 

“Possessive,” Leo mumbled, letting Takumi pull his hand free to gently stroke his cheek instead.

 

“Are you okay?” Takumi asked quietly, carefully disconnecting from him. Leo grimaced at the wet feeling, letting the other prince guide his hips down to the floor, mindful of his still sensitive cock.

 

“I’m okay,” Leo assured, sighing as Takumi began to gently pet his hair. “I  _ am  _ sorry, you know.”

 

“I know,” he sighed, leaning down to nuzzle the back of Leo’s neck. “I’m sorry, too.”

 

“For what? Fucking me into the floor? That was amazing, don’t apologize for that.”

 

Leo smiled when Takumi sputtered above him, glancing back at him from the corner of his eye. The Hoshidan’s red cheeks gave away his embarrassment, both endearing and amusing.

 

“Well,” Takumi huffed. “I shouldn’t have jumped you like that.”

 

“Maybe not the best place for it, but I deserved it right? Because I’m such a slut?”

 

“Okay, we need to talk about this later. First, I need to get you out of here and cleaned up.”

 

“What?” Leo asked innocently, humming as Takumi helped draw up his trousers. “Isn’t this something to be shared and celebrated? Let everyone know you came in my-”

 

“Leo, shut the fuck up.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What's this? Two chapters only days apart instead of weeks? That's right, folks, enjoy two smut-filled chapters back to back!
> 
> Basically I projected all of my recent frustrations into Tak fucking the shit out of Leo, thus came this rushed mess. It's explicitly consensual, just to be clear
> 
> Ideas always welcome!  
> Tumblr: neptune-bound


	14. Eyeliner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leo decides to help Takumi try something different.

“Just hold still, would you?”

 

“It feels weird. I don’t like it so close to my eye.”

 

“I’m almost done. Be patient.”

 

“I’m trying!”

 

Leo sighed and finally leaned back to examine his work, capping his liquid eyeliner so it wouldn’t drip all over the sheets. Takumi blinked his eyes a few times and stared back at him, hands twitching where they rested in his lap.

 

“Oh no, don’t you dare rub at them.” Leo reached out to take his boyfriend’s hands in his own, holding them captive. “Wait for it to dry or you’ll smear it.”

 

“It’s itchy,” the other boy whined. “How do you wear this all the time?”

 

Leo smiled, amunsed, and placated Takumi with a quick kiss on the lips. “I’m used to it, remember. Now, let me show you.”

 

Leo released one of Takumi’s hands to pick up the small hand mirror he had taken from the bathroom earlier, holding it up so the other could see his reflection. Truly, Leo thought he had done a wonderful job. His hand was always steady and he rarely messed up his lines anymore, so he was quite proud of himself.

 

Takumi blinked a few more times and leaned in closer to the mirror, examining the simple black lines Leo had given him around his eyes. It helped accentuate the natural curve of his eyes, already almond shaped, and made his irises look darker, bringing out the small flecks of gold closer to his pupils. Leo watched as Takumi turned his head one way and then the other, obviously getting a good look at himself, and felt only a little nervous when he finally sat back.

 

“I like it,” Takumi announced. “I wouldn’t wear it every day, but it’s nice. I like it on you better, though.”

 

Leo huffed a little at the compliment, cheeks growing warm as he lowered the mirror. “Shut up. It is very becoming on you.”

 

“‘Becoming?’” Takumi repeated with a snort, lips curling in amusement. “I guess that’s one word for it.”

 

“Shut up! That’s it, that’s the last time I do something nice for you.”

 

“Aw, babe-”

 

“No, don’t even-”

 

Leo yelped as Takumi dove forward, knocking him onto his back while wrapping his arms around him. He laughed as Takumi littered kisses along his neck and face, shoving at the other boy’s shoulders.

 

“Stop! Stop, you heathen! It’s still drying!”

 

Takumi finally withdrew and, just as Leo had feared, he had smeared the eyeliner just a little. “Now look what you did.” Leo huffed, accusing even as he smiled.

 

“Oops.” Takumi smiled in return, leaning down to kiss him slowly and Leo could hardly bring himself to complain more.

 

He lifted his hands to gently cup Takumi’s face, stroking his cheeks with his thumbs, and hummed softly against his lips. Their lips parted briefly, a hint of tongue, before Takumi withdrew again.

 

“I think I’ll leave eyeliner to you,” he teased, resting their foreheads together.

 

“Okay, okay.” Leo acquiesced, smiling up at him. “But what about eyeshadow?”

 

“Maybe not.”

 

“Lipstick? Or what about gloss? Oh! A good matte lipstick would look wonderful if we matched it to the color in your hair-”

 

Takumi cut him off with another kiss, smothering Leo’s blooming laughter. His chest felt warm and his head a little fuzzy, a smile on his lips when Takumi drew back to look at him with complete adoration.

 

“I’ll try anything for you, babe.”

 

Leo flushed, touched, and tucked a stray hair behind the other’s ear. “Okay, but you will regret that.”

 

Takumi laughed, bright and lovely. “I guess we’ll see, won’t we?”

 

Leo stared up into Takumi’s sparkling eyes, alight with affection and underlying desire, and nodded.

 

“We will.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What's this? An update? After how many years?  
> It's not stated, but this is definitely Goth!Leo and Punk!Takumi making a short but sweet appearance.
> 
> Also this is super late my guys but hey! The wonderful miseryru on Tumblr did amazing [fanart](https://miseryru.tumblr.com/post/168096900846/that-cute-and-coughlewdcough-fanfic-series-in) for chapter 10 and it's so lovely and I love them and it to death to pls go give them all the love!!


	15. Like A Good Friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leo is just trying to be a good friend. Sometimes that's harder than it needs to be.

Leo jolted awake at the sound of his phone buzzing on the nightstand, loud in the mostly bare room. The screen lit up and illuminated the area around it, making Leo squint his eyes at the sudden brightness. He reached for it blindly as the screen shut off again, plunging the room into darkness once more. He cursed as he almost dropped it, fumbling with it when it vibrated again under his fingers, and finally dragged it towards him on the bed. Two text message notifications awaited him, his eyes taking a moment to adjust to the bright light well enough to read the words.

 

**[Takumi 12:34AM]** hey u awake

 

**[Takumi 12:34AM]** i need an oven

 

Leo blinked once, twice, and then reached out to turn on his bedside lamp. He pushed himself up onto one elbow and set his phone down long enough to get his glasses out of their case. He read the messages again to make sure he wasn’t wrong in his interpretation before replying.

 

**[12:36AM]** An oven? Why?

 

**[Takumi 12:36AM]** because i need to make garlic bred

 

Leo’s sleep-muddled mind could just barely make sense of what he was reading. He wondered briefly if he was dreaming as he read the most recent message again, eyebrows furrowing in his confusion.

 

**[12:38AM]** Takumi, it’s almost one in the morning.

 

**[Takumi 12:39AM]** i kno but i need this

 

**[Takumi 12:39AM]** ur oven works bttr than mine

 

**[12:40AM]** Do not tell me you’re drunk.

 

**[Takumi 12:42AM]** mayb

 

Leo sighed heavily, pinching the bridge of his nose. He told Takumi to walk up to his apartment  _ quietly  _ and earned an absurd amount of emojis in response that definitively gave away the other man’s drunken state. Neither of them used emojis unless they were being ironic or mocking someone they mutually hated.

 

Leo forced himself out of bed and wrapped his bathrobe around himself to keep warm, trying to keep some of the heat from his bed. He shuffled into the kitchen and was in the midst of starting some water on for tea when he heard knocking at his door.

 

An obviously intoxicated Takumi stood just outside, two packages of frozen garlic bread in his hands and a far too innocent smile on his face. Leo didn’t want to think about whether or not a drunk Takumi went out to buy the garlic bread or not.

 

“We should jus’ live together,” Takumi announced, pushing past Leo without proper greeting. “It’d make this easier.”

 

Leo sighed wearily, ignoring the implications of that statement, and closed the door again. As he turned around, Takumi had already set the packages on the counter and was squinting at the labels, eyebrows furrowed in concentration. It would have been cute if he hadn’t put his face approximately three inches away from the words.

 

“Tak, let me,” he said, pushing the other man back. “I will make it.”

 

“But you won’t make it right!” Takumi huffed though he did stumble back a few paces.

 

“It’s garlic bread, Tak.”

 

“Exactly! It-It has to be made perfectly!”

 

Leo rolled his eyes and shooed Takumi over to his coach, forcing him to sit. “ _ I will do it. _ I do not need a drunken man working my oven.”

 

“‘M not drunk,” Takumi pouted, his messy hair and alcohol scented clothes saying otherwise. “Just a lil’ tipsy.”

 

Leo made an exasperated noise and turned on his oven, glancing at the plastic packaging to set the temperature correctly. His teapot whistled at him and he turned to tend to it while Takumi began to ramble about the proper art of garlic bread making. Leo, admittedly, tuned most of it out, sipping at his tea once it had steeped while pulling out a baking sheet. He ripped open the garlic bread and placed both loaves on the sheet, waiting until the oven beeped at him before sliding it into his oven. Leo set the timer and threw away the packaging before looking back over to his friend. Takumi had slumped back against the couch, staring up at the cracked ceiling, but he had stopped talking about garlic bread.

 

They had at least ten minutes before the bread was ready, so Leo walked over to sit next to him. The couch was small, more of a loveseat, but he put what space he could between them. Takumi didn’t turn to look at him, humming quietly to himself while Leo finished his last dregs of tea.

 

“I saw my dad today,” Takumi announced suddenly. “And Mikoto.”

 

Leo glanced over to him, understanding beginning to dawn. “Oh?”

 

“Yeah.” A pause, stretched thin by an unnamed tension. “It was stupid.”

 

Leo didn’t press, waiting patiently for it all to spill out as it usually did. Drunk Takumi was always more open with his problems than Sober Takumi, something that Leo felt only a little guilty about exploiting sometimes. He didn’t have to wait long.

 

“It’s just- fuck, it’s just  _ dumb. _ They act like they’re so  _ happy  _ but they, they aren’t, y’know? Mikoto is obviously che-cheating on him, it’s so,  _ so fuckin’ obvious _ , but dad doesn’t do anything because. Because he needs a wife for appearances and shit.” Takumi wasn’t smiling anymore and his mouth was set in a hard line, not unlike his furrowed brow. He gestured angrily with his hands as he spoke and he stuttered a little more in his drunkenness, but Leo only watched him quietly, absorbing it all. “And-and Mikoto acts like she cares ‘bout me! Like she has the nerve! Yeah, yeah, sure, not like you’re fuckin’ some lady on the side or, or anything like that. Act like my mom if it makes you feel better.”

 

Leo never said anything after Takumi’s little tirades. He had learned not to over time. Takumi was always too drunk to remember exactly what he said, let alone what Leo said in response, only remembering enough to be ashamed and sorry for whatever it was he said or did. Leo always reassured him and brushed it off like it never happened. Like a good friend, Leo didn’t mention his concern for Takumi’s dependence on alcohol. Like a good friend, he kept his mouth shut and nose out of other people’s affairs. Like a  _ “good friend.” _

 

Leo didn’t know what made him slip tonight. Probably a variety of things; his long day at work, his conversation with his own father, his surprise 2AM visitor. He was exhausted and his usual filter wasn’t at its normal standard, making him slip up.

 

As the oven beeped at them, loud and startling in the quiet, Leo rubbed at his eyes and rose to his feet. Unthinkingly, he leaned down to kiss Takumi’s forehead, soothingly caressing his cheek like a lover might while mumbling, “I’m sorry, Tak.”

 

He realized too late his mistake as he drifted past, but the oven beeped again and he couldn’t freeze in shock like he wanted to in fear of the noise waking neighbors. Leo grabbed an oven mitt after discarding his mug in the sink and removed the hot garlic bread, leaving it on the stovetop. He turned off the oven and threw down the ragged mitt, heart racing as he noticed Takumi rising to move over to him.

 

“It needs to cool down,” Leo informed him, face feeling flushed. He blamed the heat from the oven. “You might burn yourself if you try it now.”

 

Takumi, however, seemed suddenly uninterested in his original intentions for being there. He approached Leo, gaze hardened, and Leo felt his heart leap into his throat. He automatically feared the worst, bracing himself for a blow of some kind as his friend -  _ friend,  _ he reminded himself forcefully - stepped closer, closing distance between them. Leo braced himself back against the counter, proud of himself for not flinching when Takumi did the same. Their fingers brushed against each other as Takumi leaned in closer, stopping only a few inches away.

 

Their breaths intermingled as they stared at each other, Leo with wide eyes, suddenly much more awake than ever, and Takumi with a slightly narrowed, surprisingly calculating look. Leo didn’t know what to do when faced with the dark maroon that was Takumi’s eyes, a color he had grown to want to know more intimately despite his best efforts. There were flecks of gold around his pupil and a darker ring around the edge of his iris, almost black really. His breath smelled like alcohol, maybe whiskey, and Leo could only exhale shakily.

 

“Takumi.” He breathed. Lifting one hand, he tentatively placed it on the other’s chest, unsure if he wanted to push Takumi back or pull him close.

 

Takumi seemed unsure himself, almost swaying into the touch. They both looked down at Leo’s hand before making eye contact again, something meaningful passing between them in that quiet moment.

 

Takumi moved first, stepping away from Leo. Only when he was a few paces away did Leo feel like he could breathe right again, struck by how he missed the heat that had been radiating off of Takumi.

 

“I should go.”

 

The words were spoken roughly, sudden, and Leo jerked his head up in surprise as Takumi moved to the door.

 

“Wait, Takumi, I-”

 

“See you tomorrow, Leo. Thanks.”

 

Leo’s protests died as Takumi opened the door and stepped out, the door closing behind him. There was the soft sound of fumbling before Leo heard the slide of a key and the deadbolt moving into place, locking the door. Even drunk, Takumi was considerate enough to remember to lock Leo’s door with his spare key.

 

Inexplicably, it brought tears to Leo’s eyes. He listened to the set of fading footsteps with the two cooling loaves of garlic bread on his stove, eyes watery and chest tight.

 

Like a good friend, he brought them to Takumi in the morning with the promise of a hangover breakfast once the man opened the door for him. They didn’t speak about what had happened the night before, just fell into their usual routine of teasing and lighthearted bickering.

 

It was like it never happened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What's THIS? TWO updates?  
> Consider this my apology for being so absent lately RIP me.
> 
> Also I am extremely passionate about Tak's backstory and relationship with Mikoto so pls come yell at me about it I will gladly share theories on my [tumblr](http://neptune-bound.tumblr.com/)


	16. Birthday Boy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Leo's birthday and Takumi surprises him with a special something.

“So, you’ve never had a dog?”

 

Leo shook his head, putting his glasses in their case and closing it. “I’ve never really had a pet, to be honest.”

 

When he turned to look at his husband, Takumi was looking at him with a frown on his face. “Not at all? Not even a fish?”

 

Leo shrugged, huffing a little in amusement. “No, not even a fish. I don’t think any of us would have had the time for it.” He turned back to place his case on the nightstand and turn off the lamp. “My father and Xander have asthma anyways and Elise is allergic to cats. None of us were really interested in reptiles at the time, so it just never happened. After I moved out, I couldn’t afford a pet by myself and I didn’t have the time for one either.”

 

Takumi automatically reached out for him after he turned off the light and Leo settled easily into his arms, tucking close to his chest. He set a hand on his hip while Takumi wrapped an arm around his shoulders, his other pillowed under Leo’s head.

 

“That’s kind of sad,” Takumi murmured into his hair. “I can’t imagine not growing up with my family’s dog.”

 

Leo shrugged, closing his eyes. “It’s fine, I don’t really care anymore. Camilla has two snakes now, I think.”

 

Takumi made a noncommittal noise and Leo assumed that was the end of it, relaxing under the light touch of his husband’s fingers that absently traced figures on his skin. After a few minutes of silence, when Leo was growing especially drowsy, he heard Takumi ask, “Would you ever want a dog now?”

 

Leo, half-asleep and not exactly thinking about the question, mumbled, “Sure, I love dogs. Always wanted one.”

 

He felt Takumi kiss the top of his head but nothing else was said, so Leo let himself drift off quickly after, not lingering on the question. In the morning, he hardly remembered Takumi asking and practically forgot about the entire conversation.

 

Until a few weeks later when it was almost his birthday and Takumi was home before he was for once.

 

Leo was just stepping through the front door when two hands fell over his eyes, a kiss pressed to his check letting him know exactly who it was. He smiled, exasperated but amused, and asked, “Now, what’s this about?”

 

“I have a surprise for you,” Takumi’s voice replied. “Drop your bag, it’s in the living room.”

 

“’It?’ So, it’s a thing?” Leo asked, gently setting his bag on the floor.

 

“Something like that.”

 

Leo let Takumi press up against his back and carefully guide him deeper into the house, laughing when they stumbled over each others feet. Takumi shushed him, but Leo could hear the eagerness in his tone. Whatever it was had him excited and Leo felt anticipation building in his gut because of it, affected despite himself.

 

“Tak, this is ridiculous,” Leo said as they shuffled into what he guessed was the living room based on the carpet he almost tripped over. “Let me see, you dolt.”

 

“Hold on! Just a bit more.”

 

Leo opened his mouth to say more but was cut off when Takumi finally moved his hands, setting them on Leo’s shoulders instead. He blinked a few times, confused when he didn’t immediately see anything until Takumi gently directed his head to look down.

 

And there, sprawled out on their couch and snoring softly, was perhaps the most precious puppy Leo had ever seen in his life.

 

Leo felt his heart constrict as he stared at it, taking in the small dog. It was the smallest corgi he had ever seen in his life. It had a white muzzle and big, black-tipped ears. The white on its muzzle expanded down its neck and chest, spreading out along its stomach to its little legs and paws, the rest of it a golden brown. Leo brought a hand to his mouth, noting the dark blue collar around its neck that looked freshly bought. He whirled around to face his husband, taking in his big, stupid smile and slightly sheepish look.

 

“You-!” Leo couldn’t find the words to finish his sentence, his throat oddly tight.

 

“Surprise,” Takumi said softly.

 

Leo looked back to the corgi and felt his eyes well up with unbidden tears, overwhelmed with an emotion he couldn’t immediately identify. He carefully crouched in front of the couch and reached out to touch one of the corgi’s paws with shaky fingers. He gently, as to not wake it, ran his hand through its soft fur and couldn’t control his gasp when it sneezed in its sleep, waking itself up with the noise. Leo watched with wide eyes as it woke up, its little mouth stretching in a yawn, and Leo felt like his heart might burst with the sound it made. The corgi struggled to push itself up on stubby legs, paws slipping on the leather of the couch, before it turned to look at Leo. He held out his fingers for it to sniff curiously and exhaled shakily when it licked them with its soft tongue.

 

“Her name is Elsie,” Takumi told him, kneeling next to him on the floor. “She was abandoned on that old farm outside of town. They brought her in to the shelter a few weeks ago.”

 

“Elsie?” Leo breathed, feeling his pulse race with emotion when Takumi said she had been abandoned. How someone could leave such an adorable, precious puppy in such an awful place was beyond him. He was quickly distracted from the thought when the corgi, Elsie, responded to her name, perking up and letting out a small yip. Leo wanted to cry.

 

“Did you get her for me?” Leo asked, soft and on the verge of tears.

 

“Yeah, I did.” Takumi curled an arm around his shoulders, gently wiping Leo’s cheek when a rogue tear escaped his eye. “You said you always wanted a dog that one night, and I know you love corgis. She was perfect. And before you try refusing her, we have both the money and space for her.”

 

Leo watched Elsie as she yawned again, apparently bored with them already, and flop back down on the couch to go back to sleep. He had completely forgotten about that conversation until Takumi mentioned it, but now it came back to him in bits and pieces. Takumi’s question that night suddenly made much more sense. He tried to compose himself in vain, silent tears starting to roll down his cheeks, and he finally turned to look at Takumi. His husband, most certainly the love of his life, someone he had fallen for a long time ago, and yet Leo found himself feeling like he was falling in love all over again when he saw the soft affection in the other man’s expression. He didn’t hesitate to kiss him, ignoring the fact that his face was wet now. Takumi returned the kiss easily, lifting his free hand to cup Leo’s cheek and brush his thumb under his eye, catching a few more tears. As Leo withdrew, he exhaled slowly and sniffled, looking back to their new dog. Elsie had fallen asleep again and her stomach rose and fell with each breath, her snores quiet.

 

Takumi squeezed his shoulder, kissing Leo’s temple as he murmured, “Happy birthday, babe.”

 

Leo wiped his eyes with shaky hands and grabbed the hand on his shoulder, squeezing it in return. “I love you.”

 

“Love you, too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short but sweet my homies  
> Also I had two requests awhile ago (possessed Tak and dom Leo) and I haven't forgotten them! They're coming soon I promise
> 
> Find [my tumblr here](http://neptune-bound.tumblr.com/)


	17. One Shot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The BNHA!AU no one asked for and I'm not dedicated enough to write properly.

When Leo received the call about a villain firing on random citizens in broad daylight, disrupting traffic and causing general chaos, he hadn’t asked who it was. The majority of villains had motives; they had goals and clear-cut desires that were easy to predict. There were very few that had the sole desire to simply cause chaos and even less that didn’t seem to have a goal at all.

 

The Serpent was one such enigma.

 

Leo had been tracking the Serpent ever since he had appeared on the grid for criminal activity. Initially, he had appeared to have a hand in various black market dealings, but then he had started branching out. Suddenly, he was stealing from jewelry stores and robbing banks; then he was committing arson in office buildings; he got into fights with one or two other pro hero’s, committed a few murder’s, and practically caused as much chaos within the city limits as he could. His patterns were sporadic at best and Leo had yet to pinpoint exactly where he operated from if from anywhere at all. The Serpent was just as elusive as his named suggested, slipping in and out of areas without so much as a trace left behind.

 

There were images of him, of course, taken on shaky phones and videos with even shakier feeds. There were speculations about what Quirk the villain possessed and how he manifested it, but no concrete information for Leo to work off of except for his villain title. Leo had yet to even interact with the Serpent face-to-face, so he didn’t have that to rely on either. For the most part, he was going in blind.

 

So, it was with a cautious approach that he arrived where the Serpent was wreaking his havoc, finding what few police officers that had been on scene unconscious - or dead - on the ground. Citizens were fleeing around him, running from the fire that had started in the road among various destroyed vehicles and also from the volley of arrows that was flying down from where the Serpent had positioned himself atop a crashed semi-truck.

 

He was firing seemingly at random, hitting anything that he deemed worthy and causing the fire to spread, the impacts of his arrows causing small explosions wherever they struck. Leo could see they vanished upon impact and that the Serpent was summoning them from what appeared to be nothing, a continuous flow that he fired from the bow in his hand that looked to be made of the same substance as the arrows; an oddly green colored, almost smoke like essence that swirled around his gloved hands.

 

Leo didn’t stand and observe for much longer, not when he could hear the screaming of injured citizens from the wreckage in front of him. He lowered himself to the ground and pressed his palms to the cracked concrete, focusing his energy into the earth and finding the buried roots underneath. He summoned them up from the ground and directed them at the truck the Serpent was standing on, lifting his eyes to watch as the roots erupted from the cracks in the ground and surged towards the villain. They struck the cab of the truck first, wrapping around it and peeling it back from the pole it had rammed into. The Serpent lost his footing as the truck moved under him, but was able to leap away before Leo’s attack could properly displace him, landing an impressive distance away and rolling gracefully back to his feet.

 

He turned immediately to where Leo was still crouched down and, even with the mask that covered the bottom half of his face, Leo could see him grinning.

 

“Ah, the mighty Brynhildr! Showing his face to me at last!” The Serpent pressed his hands together in front of him and bowed, his long ponytail sliding over his shoulder. “Let me be the first to say it is such an honor.”

 

Leo lifted a hand to wipe the sweat from his brow as he rose from his crouched position, eyeing the other man warily. “Did you truly think you could get away with something like this?”

 

The Serpent straightened up and tapped his chin in a thoughtful manner, humming aloud. “Maybe, maybe not. It certainly was ambitious, though, wasn’t it? Not just any villain would do this alone.”

 

“So, what? You were so desperate to see me that you just started shooting into the street?”

 

The Serpent spread out his hands in front of him in mock surrender. “Ah, you got me. Your pretty face is all that keeps me going, you know.”

 

“Complimenting me isn’t going to reduce your death sentence.”

 

“You wound me! Not even your delicate hands will catch me, dear Brynhildr.”

 

Leo scowled at the endearment, subtly shifting his stance to hopefully entrap the villain while they were bantering. He had barely moved one boot before an arrow was slicing past his cheek, striking the edge of his mask and sending it flying off his face to land in the dirt nearby. Leo felt the warm trickle of blood flow down his cheek from the fresh cut, making him grimace. The Serpent, arms now raised after releasing his most recent attack, watched him with dark, narrowed eyes.

 

“There’s that pretty face,” he cooed, another arrow slowly materializing between his fingers, it’s sickly green glow bright. “It looks so much better with a little color.”

 

“Enough playing around,” Leo said through gritted teeth. “What do you want?”

 

“What do I want?” The Serpent repeated, tilting his head. He twirled the arrow between the fingers of his left hand, Leo’s eyes never leaving its glow. “Now, that’s a big question, Brynhildr. There are plenty of things I __want,__ but sadly I cannot get many of them. I have to settle for the little things, you know how it goes.”

 

Leo could tell he was stalling, but he didn’t know what for. It was too risky to make another move when the Serpent could strike him at any time, so he remained still, hoping to last long enough for more police or another hero to arrive.

 

The Serpent had fallen quiet and was watching him now with an almost bored look in his eyes. The arrow was poised between his index and middle fingers, ready to be released at any moment. Leo cautiously looked away from it to instead meet the Serpent’s gaze, mildly disturbed by how the odd green reflected in his dark eyes. He could see the faint outline of the Serpent’s smile through his mask and it sent a sudden chill up his spine, though he didn’t dare move a single step. Police sirens were starting to wail from somewhere nearby and Leo knew he had only a handful of minutes, maybe seconds, before the situation devolved into further chaos and the Serpent seemed to realize this at the same time.

 

The arrow in his grasp started to glow a bit brighter, forcing Leo to squint against its light, while the Serpent smoothly transitioned into his shooting stance. Leo could just barely make out the bow he summoned, also seemingly materialized out of thin air, as he lined up the arrow along a string of the same green color.

 

“Why, Brynhildr,” the Serpent purred, his face almost washed out by the harsh light of the arrow, only his eyes a deep, pitch black. “What I __want__  is you.”

 

When police arrived on scene with two hero’s seconds later, both villain and hero were gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I got a request a LONG time ago for possessed Takumi, and I sort of just took it and went with Evil Takumi instead. I recently caught up on BNHA so I was inspired.
> 
>  
> 
> [My tumblr](http://neptune-bound.tumblr.com/)


	18. Human

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Takumi is injured in battle. He lives, but not without consequences.

Takumi chipped his own tooth from how hard he was grinding his teeth. Or maybe it had already been broken, he wasn’t sure. The little shard prodded at his lip, threatening to cut into the delicate skin. It was oddly grounding, keeping him in the moment more than the voices that shouted on either side of him. His ears were ringing so he couldn’t make out most of what they were saying, but he knew the gist of it; he would probably be yelling at people to move the fuck out of the way too if he was half-supporting an injured fighter. The fact that he was a prince probably just made it more urgent, though he guessed legitimate fear had something to do with it, too.

 

He might have been letting himself get distracted, but a sudden jarring of his shoulder reminded him why that was a good idea. The pain that shot down the length of his arm almost made him bite through his tongue, struggling in vain not to scream. Something tightened horribly in his shoulder, not unlike some animal digging its claws in, and Takumi had to focus entirely on not passing out for a few seconds. Oboro said something to him, but he couldn’t hear her. He couldn’t respond without risking another pained scream either, so he hoped it wasn’t anything important.

 

The ringing in his ears cleared suddenly like someone had stuffed cotton in his ears and finally removed it. The cacophony of noise was like a thunder clap; voices rising and falling over each other, campfires snapping and popping, tent flaps cracking in the strong wind. Takumi felt a pounding at the back of his skull and resisted the urge to cover his ears, spying the healers tent just ahead of them now. Its insignia stood out brightly even in the smokey haze of the camp, almost the same bright red as blood.

 

Oboro left Hinata to continue supporting Takumi while she rushed ahead to announce their arrival, holding open the tent entrance so they could stumble through together. Takumi realized belatedly that he was clutching Hinata’s shoulder much too tightly, his fingers aching from the grip, but neither of them mentioned it. Sakura was there to meet them, expression set in grim determination.

 

“Over on this cot,” she ordered, gesturing to the one closest to her.

 

Hinata guided Takumi over to it and helped him sit down, mindful of his open wound. Sakura approached once he backed off, giving the wound a precursory look.

 

“I’ll need to cut off your clothes so I can access it,” she said, already removing a small knife from her belt. “Oboro, Hinata, please don’t go anywhere. I might need you to restrain him at some point.”

 

Takumi stayed dutifully still as she cut away his upper clothing, peeling the ruined layers off of him before guiding him to lay flat on his stomach. He curled his hands together in a single fist and rested his forehead atop them, focusing on his breathing and not the nausea roiling in his gut.

 

He couldn’t see what she was doing, but he felt Sakura gently push his hair over one shoulder and heard her murmur a quick spell under her breath. Takumi breathed a little easier when he felt the pain numb somewhat under her careful fingers, obviously the spell’s doing. When she lightly prodded the snapped off end of the arrow, however, the pain was quick to flare back up again. Takumi let out a hoarse shout, groaning when Sakura placed a soothing hand at the base of his neck.

 

“Tell me what happened.”

 

Hinata stepped forward to explain when Oboro remained perfectly still, obviously in shock. Takumi tried to focus on what his retainer was saying, but the pain was starting to make him more than a little delirious. He couldn’t focus on anything, his mind hazy and spinning like a leaf lost to the wind. He tried to grasp at something, anything, to keep himself grounded outside of the pain, struggling to breathe steadily. His shoulder felt like it was slowly tightening, like something was digging or burrowing deeper into the muscle. Takumi tried not to think about it - easier said than done - and instead tried to recall what exactly had happened. Nothing came to him save for those handful of seconds before he had been shot.

 

The forest had been shrouded in a heavy, cloying mist that blinded them, making it almost impossible to know what direction to head. He had been trying not to shoot unless he knew it was an enemy he was aiming at, worried about hitting someone of his own party. He could remember seeing the vague shape of a person near what looked to be a tree. He could remember taking a step towards it, hesitant, calling out to it with his bow at the ready. He could remember listening to the sounds of combat around him, how the clashing of metal seemed oddly distorted in the fog. The very last thing he remembered was the clear, telltale sound of an arrow being released and then his memory was blank.

 

Takumi knew now that it had obviously been an enemy archer he had seen, but he couldn’t remember if he had returned fire or if the archer had escaped. He couldn’t remember finding Oboro and Hinata again, couldn’t remember leaving the forest or making their way to camp. His memory was spotty at best with vague flashes of sensation more than actual memory. He still had no idea how many people they had lost in that forest.

 

He jerked slightly when he felt Sakura touch his neck again, startled from his attempted recollections. She offered him a strip of leather to bite on, making him realize he had started to grind his teeth again.

 

As he slotted it between his teeth, she said, “Takumi, I need you to stay conscious for me, okay? I’m going to remove the magical essence from the arrow and then I’ll take it out of your shoulder.”

 

Takumi managed a quick nod, not bothering to ask about what sort of ‘magical properties’ she was talking about. He didn’t care to know, really. Sakura squeezed his neck briefly before moving her hand away.

 

Takumi heard her mutter another spell under her breath and place her hands carefully around his wound. He felt something akin to a cool touch of air, enough to almost relieve the pain still pulsing from the open wound. Some of the tension in his clenched muscles started to ease and Takumi exhaled slowly in relief, ready to have the cursed thing out of him. And then suddenly his shoulder went into a spasm and everything tightened at sickeningly quick speed, the pain like someone was twisting a hot, jagged knife into his open wound.

 

Takumi couldn’t remember screaming, but when he came back to himself his throat was sore and his teeth had left deep impressions in the leather. Oboro was crouched in front of him, holding down his upper body, and he could feel Hinata’s weight on his legs. He felt weak, like something had sucked away all of his strength and left him shaky and gutted. His hair was plastered to his face from sweat and when he glanced up at Oboro he could see her wide-eyed expression of fear.

 

“Takumi?” Sakura was leaning down to his eye level, reaching out to gently brush his fringe away from his forehead. “Takumi, I removed the magic still infused in the arrow, but I have to take it out now. It won’t be easy and I need you to stay with me the best you can.”

 

Takumi spat out the leather so he could suck in more air, feeling lightheaded. His voice was strained and his tongue felt thick in his mouth when he spoke. “Why does it feel like it’s- it’s __burrowing__  or something? What is that?”

 

“It’s the magic the arrow was infused with. A type of earth magic. When it struck you, these… roots sprouted from the arrowhead and embedded into your skin. They are deep enough now that they’re in your muscle tissue which is probably what you’ve been experiencing.”

 

Takumi laughed without humor, dry and raspy. “So, taking them out won’t be easy?”

 

Sakura managed a small smile also without any humor. “No, I’m afraid not. But since I removed the magic they won’t be burrowing any deeper while I remove them.”

 

Takumi nodded, exhaling slowly. He couldn’t feel his shoulder very well, but that was likely Sakura’s doing. At the very least it wasn’t throbbing anymore.

 

“Do you need a few more minutes?” Sakura asked.

 

“No,” he sighed. “No, let’s do it. Get it over with.”

 

Sakura nodded and helped him put the leather back between his teeth, his hands shaking too much for him to handle it without dropping it. She moved out of his line of sight and Takumi met Oboro’s grim expression again. He shifted one hand so he could grab her forearm, giving it a reassuring squeeze. She shook off his hand and instead grasped it in her own, clutching it tightly as she stared back at him. Takumi didn’t pull away, comforted by her familiar, calloused grip and set his forehead back down on the cot as he felt Sakura’s hands on his back again.

 

“Ready?” She asked, and Takumi nodded.

 

The first small tug had him almost crushing Oboro’s hand, his other hand jerking out to grasp the edge of the cot. He could feel the thin wood creak under his fingers as Sakura gave another tentative pull, pausing to gently dab a wet cloth around the wound before pushing forward.

 

Takumi knew he lost consciousness at some point - or maybe he just faded in and out of it. All he could focus on was the pain. It felt like Sakura was tearing out pieces of muscle and nerve tissue bit by bit, severing them from his body with each pull. It was almost like he could feel each thorn and root embedded into him, could feel as each one was slowly, agonizingly pulled free, drops of his own blood hitting his skin before Sakura tossed the pieces into a nearby dish. At some point Oboro released his hand and cupped the back of his head instead, mumbling Hoshidan into his hair as he alternated between dry sobs and screaming, muffled only by the leather in his mouth. He barely registered when it was over, only able to tell by the hand Sakura again placed on the back of his neck. He passed out seconds later.

 

The next thing he knew he was slowly blinking his eyes open, his vision hazy. It took a few seconds for his eyes to clear enough for him to recognize the canvas ceiling of his own tent and another few seconds before he felt confident enough to turn his head to the side. Hinata was seated in a chair by his bedside, half-asleep and looking rather worse for wear. Takumi cleared his throat softly, not wanting to startle his retainer, but still managed it as the man jolted awake at the sound. His eyes lit up with obvious relief once they landed on Takumi.

 

“Oh, thank the Dragon,” Hinata breathed, hurrying to his feet. “Hold on, let me- I need to- Sakura. I’ll get Sakura, just- hold on, don’t move!”

 

“Wait-” Takumi tried to speak, but his voice came out more as a wheeze and Hinata was gone before he could try again.

 

He sighed quietly and closed his eyes again, deciding to take stock of his physical body. He could move his hands and feet, flex his fingers and toes, and he could bend his knees with only some soreness. His ribs felt bruised, but otherwise they seemed fine and he was breathing okay, chest rising and falling without issue. He moved his uninjured arm first, bending it at the elbow and gently touching his forehead, only a slight headache pulsing at his temples. Then he tried his other arm. His injured shoulder went into a spasm almost instantly when he tried working it, making him gasp aloud in pain. He opened his eyes, watery now, and looked down to see the bandages crossing his torso, wrapping around his injured shoulder.

 

“Don’t move it yet.”

 

Takumi lifted his gaze back up to the tent entrance, meeting Sakura’s tired eyes as she stepped further into the tent. He spotted Hinata just outside before the tent flap fell shut behind her.

 

“Sakura,” he mumbled, his voice less of a wheeze the second time around. “Didn’t you-?”

 

“I healed you,” she admitted, approaching his bedside. “But only as much as I could. That magic was powerful, Tak, I could only do so much when it had already gotten so deep.”

 

“What does that mean?”

 

“Have some water first, Tak. Please, you’re dehydrated.”

 

Sakura took Hinata’s vacated chair and dragged it closer to the bed, picking up the cup he hadn’t noticed sitting on the nightstand. He let her help him drink the whole thing, managing it in only a few swallows. She refilled the cup from the pitcher also sitting beside the bed and waited for him to take a few more sips before speaking again.

 

“By the time I finished removing the roots, you were barely conscious. You had lost a lot of blood, both before you got to me and as I was pulling those things out of you.” Sakura looked down at her hands, clenching them around the small cup. “I was exhausted from drawing out that toxic magic. It was stronger than I expected and it was so… delicately woven into the very existence of that arrow I still can’t really believe it. That kind of mastery in elemental magic, especially earth magic, is so tedious and time consuming. Whoever designed that arrow knew exactly what they were doing.”

 

Takumi nodded absently, knowing already that they were thinking of the same person. Nohr had only a select few mages of such talent and only one that was gifted with earth magic. He didn’t bother mentioning it out loud and let her keep going.

 

“I couldn’t bring in another healer,” Sakura murmured. “It was too risky, but there was so much tissue and nerve damage, I don’t- I __couldn’t__  fix it all by myself. I didn’t want to risk anything when you had already lost so much blood. You know healing magic can only do so much, especially with such grave injuries like that.” She took in a shaky breath. “I closed the wound, but I couldn’t fix everything. It will take a lot longer to heal and you will need to train with it delicately to work the muscles back up. The scarring will be- irreversible.”

 

Sakura sniffled quietly and Takumi saw the beginnings of tears in her eyes. He tried saying her name but was cut off when she whipped her head up to glare at him. “You almost lost the entire use of your arm, Takumi. Your __entire__ arm! Any other healer could have saved you and left you with full use of it, but I just barely kept you alive! I don’t know if you’ll have the same mobility, or- or if you’ll have lasting pain! I don’t know if the tissue will even recover properly or if you’ll have permanent nerve damage!”

 

Takumi didn’t say anything as she took in another shaky breath. He watched her cry for a moment, tears rolling down her cheeks silently, and felt his heart ache. He slowly moved one hand atop the blanket covering him, palm up, and waited patiently for her to reach out and grasp it in both of her own after putting the cup aside. She wouldn’t meet his eyes, but he still tangled their fingers together.

 

“Sakura,” he said softly. “You kept me alive. That is _ _all__  that matters. Whatever might happen after this we can deal with - __together.__  I just need you to stay with me, okay?”

 

Sakura inhaled deeply and let out the breath slowly, sniffling as she stared down at their joined hands. It took another moment, but she nodded and looked up at him again, tears slowing down.

 

“Okay.”

 

Takumi managed to coax her onto the bed with him, curling up on his uninjured side with his arm wrapped tightly around her shoulders. The shadows under her eyes gave away her exhaustion, so he was relieved when she finally dozed off not too much later. As he stared up at the blank canvas of his tent, listening to the soft patter of rain that had just started, he silently vowed to himself to see this battle through to the end.

 

Not just the one between Hoshido and Nohr, but the one between royals as well. Prince Leo of Nohr had chosen the worst of enemies to challenge, and Takumi vowed to make sure he knew it until his dying breath.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A longer one and strictly Takumi-centric for once!
> 
> Hit me up on [my tumblr](http://neptune-bound.tumblr.com/)


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